Video Tribute: The CMS Men's Track and Field Class of 2020

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The ten seniors on the CMS men's track and field team went out as champions, winning the SCIAC title a year ago after being picked fourth in the preseason poll. They had their sights set on making it back-to-back titles their senior year, but had that goal cut short by the suspension of spring sports.

The Class of 2020 leaves a strong legacy behind, though, as they were a part of two league titles and will leave the program in a position to be strong contenders for the league crown in coming seasons as well. The group includes four athletes who won individual SCIAC titles in the last year, and five who were USTFCCCA All-Region recipients. Three were also part of the SCIAC men's cross country championship team in the fall, and one helped the men's swimming and diving team to a league title in the winter. 

Click below to watch our video tribute to the CMS Men's Track and Field Class of 2020:



The 10 members of the senior class are as follows:

Thomas D'Anieri (Wellesley, Mass. - Claremont McKenna, PPE)
D'Anieri was the SCIAC Men's Cross Country Champion in the fall, and earned All-America honors with a third-place finish at nationals, the second-best national finish in program history. In track and field, he holds the school record in the 5000 and places second in school history in the steeplechase. He placed 13th in the NCAA Division III Championships in the steeplechase as a sophomore, but missed his junior season with an injury, before returning to win the SCIAC cross country title this fall. 

Max Denning (Elmhurst, Ill. - Harvey Mudd, computer science)
Denning qualified for the finals of the 800 meters in all three of the SCIAC Championships he participated in, earning a high finish of sixth place with a 1:54.96. He was part of a distance medley relay team that came in first place at the 2019 Rossi Relays with a 10:11.79 that ranks sixth all-time at CMS. He was also part of the cross country team in the fall, earning a league championship this season. 

Justin Estrada (Dallas, Texas - Claremont McKenna, international relations)
Estrada returned to the Stags this season after studying abroad last year. He was part of a 4x400 relay team that finished second at the 2017 SCIAC Championships to earn All-SCIAC honors, while also qualifying for the finals and finishing fifth in the 400 as an individual. He had personal bests of 11.36 in the 100, 22.84 in the 200 and 49.02 in the 400. 

Alisandro Fernandez (Santa Fe, N.M. - Claremont McKenna, biology)
Fernandez ran the 200 and the 400 throughout his CMS career, earning personal bests of 23.39 and 52.78, respectively. He was part of a 4x400 relay team that came in second at the 2018 SCIAC Multi-Dual at Whittier, and third in a 2019 SCIAC Multi-Dual at Redlands. He opened up last year with a top-10 finish at the Westmont On Your Marks meet in the 400, coming in seventh. 

Wilson Ives (Seattle, Wash. - Harvey Mudd, engineering)
Ives was a two-time All-SCIAC winner in the 1500, while adding USTFCCCA All-West Region honors as well last year ... He ranked 10th all-time in CMS history in the 1500, which he set with a 3:54.05 at the Bryan Clay Invitational last year, while his 3:55.30 at the SCIAC Championships was good for third place, the second year in a row he reached the podium. He was also part of the Stag contingent that competed in the NCAAs for the SCIAC champion cross country team in the fall.  

Maxwell Knowles (Chatsworth, Calif. - Claremont McKenna, PPE)
Knowles won the SCIAC Championship in the javelin last year, earning a qualification to the NCAA Championships and placing fourth all-time in CMS history with a throw of 199 feet. He improved from eighth place in the javelin as a first-year (153'3") to second as a sophomore (178'7") to first as a junior (199'). He won the javelin at the Pomona-Pitzer All-Comers meet, earning SCIAC Field Athlete of the Week honors, and the first SCIAC Multi-Dual this season as he was gearing up for a run at the All-America podium this spring. 

Brooks MacDonald (Lafayette, Colo. - Harvey Mudd, mathematical and computational biology)
MacDonald was a member of both the cross country and track and field teams for the Stags, earning a league title with the cross country squad this fall. He was a SCIAC All-Academic team selection in track and field as a sophomore, after coming in 15th in the 10K at the league championships, before missing his junior year while studying abroad. He also earned top 10 finishes in the 5000 at SCIAC Multi-Duals on three different occasions. 

Bradley Newton (Saratoga, Calif. - Claremont McKenna, computer science)
Newton had the impressive distinction of being a part of SCIAC Championship teams in both track and field and swimming and diving over the past 12 months. He competed mostly in the 800 in track and field, where he earned a PR of 2:01.19 on his home track at a 2018 SCIAC Multi-Dual, while also competing on the 4x400 relay team at three different SCIAC Multi-Duals. He also swam both the breaststroke and the freestyle for the swimming and diving team in the winter. 

Reese Peterson (Vacaville, Calif. - Harvey Mudd, engineering)
Peterson was a key part of a CMS contingent that dominated the throwing events last year at the SCIAC Championships, winning the shot put and coming in second behind teammate Matthew Sill in both the hammer and discus, setting personal bests in all three. He was a USTFCCCA All-West Region selection in all three events, and was named the SCIAC Field Athlete of the Week twice last year and once already this year. He finished in first place in all three of his throwing events at his final competition, a SCIAC Multi-Dual on March 7 and he graduates ranked ninth in school history in the shot put (48'9"). 

Walker Quinn (Eugene, Ore. - Claremont McKenna, computer science)
Quinn won the SCIAC Championship in the pole vault last year, while also earning USTFCCCA All-West Region honors for his top vault of 15'7.25", which placed him fifth in CMS history. He passed that mark indoors at the Jacksons/Nike Invitational in Boise this year (15'9") which had him set to compete at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships in March, before the competition was canceled.  He also earned the SCIAC pole vaulting title as a freshman in 2017, when he cleared 14'9.5" to break his then-PR by 15 inches.