Men’s Track & Field Competes at Tufts Sunshine Classic

With the NESCAC Championships just one week away on April 27, a portion of the Mammoths competed at the Tufts Sunshine Classic on Saturday, April 20 to tune up for the upcoming championship meet. Competition for the day began with the 100-meter dash, where the first-year duo of Arinze Uddoh and Ben Wadsworth qualified for the final.They finished first and second, respectively. Next up was the 1,500-meter race where Chris Stone ’20 placed fifth in a tight field.

The highlight of the day came in the 400-meter dash where Ryan Prenosil ’21 won the event in a stellar personal best time of 48.94 seconds. It marked the sophomore’s first time running under 49 seconds in the one-lap event, and bested his previous best time by nearly half a second. “I just looked at it as an opportunity to get another 400 under my belt and tune up for NESCACs,” Prenosil said. “I felt really good during the race and made up the stagger pretty quickly. I actually thought I ran relatively slowly when I crossed the finish line, considering how smooth I felt during the last 100 meters. So when I heard I broke 49 seconds, I was surprised to say the least.” Behind him, Stanley Dunwell ’20 placed third with a time of 49.99 seconds, his first time breaking 50 seconds in the event since high school. With their times from the weekend, Prenosil ranks second in the NESCAC and Dunwell eighth. These finishes put them both in the fast heat at the NESCAC Championship, which provides them with the opportunity to compete against the best in the conference.

“I was very happy with how Stanley and Ryan ran this past weekend,” coach Lilah Drafts-Johnson said. “For the first time this season, both of them hit the final stretch and still had the gas in the tank and the willpower to keep up their pace until the finish line.” Benefiting from strong winds, Henry Buren ’22 ran an incredible time of 21.77 seconds to win the 200-meter dash. With his run, he enters the NESCAC Championship with the fastest qualifying time in the event. Behind him, Mayowa Tinubu ’20 came back from injuries to run a time of 23.47 seconds. Shortly after, Trevor Hall ’22 crossed the finish line in a time of 23.54 seconds.

In the field, Sam Amaka ’19 qualified for the finals of all of the events he competed in: the shot put, discus and hammer throw. He placed sixth, eighth and sixth in the three events, respectively. Senior Elorm Yevudza placed third in the hammer throw, and Stadtler Thompson ’19 placed sixth in the javelin.

This weekend, the Mammoths will travel to Middlebury College for the NESCAC Championship. Last year, the team placed sixth at the meet, earning 60 points. With improved fitness and strength from returners, along with a strong first-year class, the Mammoths look to improve upon their team finish from 2018. After the NESCAC Championships, team members who have achieved qualifying times will compete at the Division III New England Championships and Open New England Championships and potentially the MIT Last Chance Invitational to secure a Nationals-qualifying time. Athletes who qualify for Nationals will travel to Geneva, Ohio for the Division III Track and Field National Championships from May 23-25.