Men's Track and Field Poised for Strong 2018
CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's track and field team will take to the track for the first time in the 2018 season on Saturday. The Westmont Wake-Up Meet in Santa Barbara, Calif. will be the first of a handful of indoor events for the Stags this year.
See below for a preview of the 2018 season:
A Look Back
The Stags clinched their fifth-consecutive SCIAC Title, securing the championship in the final relay of the conference meet. Joshua Sealand (HMC) was named the SCIAC Men's Track Athlete of the Year and was named to the All-SCIAC Team. He ran his best time in the 800m at the SCIAC meet with a time of 1:49.90, the fifth best time in the country. Along with Sealand, 10 other Stags earned All-SCIAC honors including five returners.
Nine Stags earned All-Region honors, highlighted by Cam Van (CMC) with four honors and Sealand with three. Van's triple jump of 7.03m at the SCIAC Championships placed him at fifth in the nation. Thomas D'Anieri (CMC), Justin Estrada (CMC), Cameron Finley (CMC), Matthew Guillory (HMC) and Ben Iten (HMC) are among returning athletes who also garnered All-Region accolades. Sealand was named West-Region Men's Track Athlete of the Year.
At the National Meet, the Stags were represented by Sealand and Van in the finals for their events. Van placed fourth in the triple jump (14.73m) while Sealand placed fourth in the 1500 meter (3:54.08) and eighth in the 800 meter (1:52.40). As a result of their All-American finishes, the Stags finished tied for 25th at the National Meet.
On the Track and in the Field
The Stags graduated 12 seniors from their roster in 2017, including All-Americans Sealand and Van.
The 2018 Men's Track and Field season is already off to a great start after D'Anieri dominated at the Tufts Indoor Invitational. He turned in the sixth best time in NCAA Division III in the 5K with a time of 14:57.03. I was his first race of the season. D'Anieri also earned All-Region honors in the 1500 meter run in 2017.
As mentioned, the Stags will return four other All-Region selections. Estrada, Finley and Guillory all earned the honor in the 4x400 relay (3:17.65) and Iten in the 1500 meter (3:56.19).
Reese Peterson (HMC) took second at the SCIAC Conference Championship meet in the discus throw and will return for his sophomore season.
What to Watch For
The Stags will compete in a handful of indoor events this season, including the Westmont Wake-Up Meet on Saturday and the Howie Ryan Invitational hosted by the University of Houston on Feb. 9. CMS will host the Rossi Relays on Feb. 24.
For athletes that qualify, the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships will be held in Birmingham, Ala. on Mar. 9-10. The more traditional outdoor season will be highlighted by the aforementioned Rossi Relays (Feb. 9) and the SCIAC Conference Championships on April 27-28. The Conference Championships will be hosted by the University of Redlands. This year the NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships will be held in La Crosse, Wis. over a three-day period on May 24-26.
On the Sidelines
Leading the Stags in his fourth season at the helm is head coach Glenn Stewart. Stewart served as the interim coach in 2015 and 2016 and as an assistant in 2014. 2018 will mark his fifth overall season with CMS. With the 2017 SCIAC Title, Stewart has now led the Stags to three-straight SCIAC Championships. Stewart is joined on the coaching staff by assistant coaches Emily Ramey, Collin Christensen, John Goldhammer, and Bob Ramsey.