Weekend Wrap for Men's Track & Field: Pierson's Steeple Dandy Highlights the Fun

4/3/2022 9:23:00 AM | By: Joe Ginley '16, SID

Ian Pierson broke a 9-year-old JCU record.

Twas a busy weekend for John Carroll Men's Track & Field.

The Blue Streaks traveled to Williamsburg, Virginia for the William & Mary Colonial Relays on Friday, to Oberlin for the Oberlin Invitational on Saturday, as well as to Morgantown, West Virginia for the WVU Mountaineer Classic on Saturday.

All in all, it was a fruitful weekend.

William & Mary Colonial Relays

A major highlight of it all was Ian Pierson. The JCU star set the new program record in the 3000m Steeplechase. The Columbiana native dashed to a time of 9:12.69, besting the previous record set by JCU legend Will Rial in 2013. Pierson finished runner-up in the event in impressive fashion, and now ranks first in the OAC and third in NCAA Division III in the event.

The 5000m featured a few prominent Blue Streaks with great times. Jared Arnold ran an outdoor best of 14:39, while Barrett Scheatzle notched an effort of 14:42.61. Andrew Miner notched a time of 15:23.16, as well.

Pat White competed in the 1500m, tallying a time of 4:00.63, while Pierson followed behind in 4:10.92.

Oberlin Spring Open

John Carroll's throwers rose to the occasion at Oberlin on Saturday.

Zach Szafarski shined in the Hammer Throw. The Parma native lifted the lid off the event, with a winning toss of 51.64m. He did the feat on his second toss, and it represented a personal best for the Padua grad. No one came close to topping it, as Szafarski won by a full 5m. He also unofficially ranks 12th in NCAA D-III in the event.

And as if it weren't enough, the junior also won the Shot Put, as his second toss again did the trick. His mark of 13.87m won the day, capping a great meet for him.

Matthew Russo continued his outstanding freshman campaign. Fresh off an OAC Athlete of the Week honor, Russo soared again on Saturday. Russo won the Discus with an excellent toss of 45.96m. He also finished fifth in the hammer with a toss of 41.53m, as well as 10th in the shot with a hurl of 11.36m.

Alec Gorman also competed in the discus and the hammer, hefting a throw of 31.57m for 15th in the discus and a 31.88m for 11th in the hammer.

WVU Mountaineer Classic

The Blue Streaks compiled many nice efforts in West Virginia at the Mountaineer Classic.

Cormac Peppard-Kramer thrived in the 3000m Steeplechase just a day after Pierson set the record. The sophomore came just a few seconds away from hitting Pierson's time, clocking in at 9:14.40.

Corey Minton reigned victorious in the High Jump. The Alberta native came close to a PR in the event, as he won the day with a leap of 6.53m. Jimmy Kartsonas also took part in the event, notching fifth with a leap of 6.24m.

Three Blue Streaks finished in the top five of the 400m. Leading the way was Mark Zahren, whose personal-best time of 49.67 snagged second. Cameron Klauke followed, wrapping up fourth with a time of 50.14. Victor Ononogbo completed the trio with a time of 51.80 for fifth.

Four JCU men scored in the 100m. Jimmy Kartsonas steered the way with a time of 11.32 for third. Corey Minton achieved a PR with a mark of 11.72 for seventh. Adam Balkey made his outdoor debut, carding a time of 11.85 for ninth. Michael Jones rounded things out at 12.07 for 12th.

Four more Blue Streaks competed in the 200m. Victor Ononogbo anchored the quartet with a time of 23.43 for sixth. Michael Jones (24.52, 13th), Adam Balkey (24.56, 14th), and Gabe Ernest (25.86, 18th) also took part.

Mick Doyle and Evan Smith repped JCU in the 400m hurdles. Doyle delivered a second-place time of 57.15, while Smith followed in fourth at 1:06.14.

John Carroll's pack made up a majority of the field in the 1500m. Jamie Dailey shined the brightest, racing to a second-place time of 4:00.08. Gabe Ernest followed with a time of 4:02.31 for third. Johnny Shoemaker (4:03.43, 6th), Jack Root (4:04.29, 7th), Michael Hvizdos (4:11.81, 8th), Ryan Champa (4:13.95, 9th), Ryan Kiley (4:14.22, 11th), Joe Scherer (4:15.15, 14th), and Evan Piscitani (4:15.17) all made their marks as well for JCU.

Four of the five runners in the 3000m were Blue Streaks. Tommy Naiman earned the victory for JCU, capturing first with a time of 8:52.35. Matt Costanzo snatched the runner-up honors with a time of 8:59.47. Adam Shah (9:02.52, 4th) and Carson Shipley (9:14.57, 5th) also raced for JCU.

Finally, in the 4x400 relay, JCU's "A" relay of Zahren, Klauke, Zach Walsh, and Doyle tallied a time of 3:24.82 for second.

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