An Ernest Effort Guides Men's Track & Field to Strong Day in Berea

1/29/2022 7:14:00 PM | By: Joe Ginley '16, SID

The Blue Streaks enjoyed strong depth and top finishes on Saturday.

BEREA, Ohio -- A trio of conquests provided excellent markers of the progress John Carroll Men's Track & Field is making as January closes out.

The Blue Streaks penned wins in the 55m, 800m, and the 5000m races in a showing of balance on Saturday at the Dr. William Taraschke Classic.

One of the top highlights occurred early with the 55m. Jimmy Kartsonas burst across the finish line in 6.50, conquering the field with a huge smile on his face. It was a big win for the Pittsburgher, as he bested a pair of runners who got him last week.

Kartsonas also did excellent work in the long jump. The sophomore's leap of 6.72m placed him second in the event. Willis Goodwin followed with a mark of 6.22m.

Gabe Ernest also vanquished his foes in the 800m. The New Philadelphia native looked strong in tapping past the finish line in 1:56.98. John Shoemaker aided the effort with a fourth-place time of 1:59.71. Tommy Naiman also scored with a time of 2:00.29. Pat White and Jack Root were also part of the pack.

"The lanes were pretty narrow, so the goal was to get off the line as fast as I could and go from there, and see how the rest of the runners would respond," said Ernest. "I knew the guy from Ohio Wesleyan was coming up on me, so I was trying to stride it out, maintain, and run a consistent race."

Ian Pierson provided a wonderful victory in the 5000m. The star strolled across the finish line in 15:58.41, rolling to a nice victory as his senior year continues along.

The 3000m also saw a pack of Blue Streaks take the stage. Ethan Domitrovich (8:33.09), Barrett Scheatzle (8:36.67), Jared Arnold (8:37.12), Ryan Champa (8:52.19), and Matt Costanzo (8:55.56) notched third through eighth in a packed race.

Evan Piscitani also scored points for JCU in the 400m, snagging a time of 52.55 for fifth.

In the field events, JCU tallied some nice efforts. Matthew Russo and Noah Schroeder garnered great marks of 14.05m and 12.70m for fifth and sixth, respectively. Zach Szafarski did his damage in the weight throw with a toss of 15.41m, a new PR. Russo scored a distance of 14.44m for seventh. Goodwin made his career debut in the high jump and impressed with a hop of 1.75m.

Additional highlights came on Friday at the YSU Mid-Major Invite. Ian Pierson and Caleb Correia nabbed a 1-2 finish in the 1000m. Correia's top time of 2:27.65 sets him ahead as the record holder, surpassing Ethan Domitrovich's effort last week. Plus, freshman Evan Piscitani won the 500m with a time of 1:06.67. Michael Hvizdos followed closely behind in fifth at 1:07.86.

"We're in a great spot," said Ernest. "I think a lot of people are picking up where they left off last season when they were hitting their peaks. We have a much stronger team and I think we'll maintain throughout the season and peak when it's important."

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