Lakers Track and Field Makes History

Little Falls, N.Y. – The Finger Lakes Community College men's track and field team made history Saturday afternoon, securing the program's first ever National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region III, Division III championship.

Several Lakers came out on top in their respective events, including student-athlete Daniel DiSalvo who would pick up two huge wins for the Lakers, first in the 110-meter, claiming 1^st-place with a time of 19.20, more than 20 seconds faster than the 2^nd-place finisher. DiSalvo would add another 1^st-place finish in the 400-meter hurdle, finishing ahead of teammates John Zimmerman (2^nd) and Memphis Lohnes (3^rd) with a time of 1:07.77.

A Lakers 4x800 relay team consisting of student-athletes Giovanni Ventura, John Zimmerman, Kyle Green, and Hunter Zangerle would claim a 1^st-place victory with a time of 8:40.05, edging the Vikings of Hudson Valley Community College by 3 seconds.

Track and field head coach James Bathgate stated, "In the 4x800 we were behind, Giovanni hammered out the last 50 meters to give us the win. Kyle hit a PR in his split, JT just finished steeplechase 15 minutes prior, pulling out a win like that was huge".

The Laker's 4x400 meter relay team would earn a 1^st-place finish to add to their strong showing. Student-athletes Daniel DiSalvo, Memphis Lohnes, Tyqwan Coles, and Giovanni Ventura would string together a time of 4:14.39 to claim the top spot.

Bathgate added, "everyone competed in 3 to 5 events, and before the meet, the guys came together, and everyone agreed they had a chance to come away with this thing if people went outside of their comfort zone".

Tyqwan Coles would put the Lakers on top in the men's high jump, with a mark of 1.61m. Teammate Memphis Lohnes would join Coles in the field events, claiming a 1^st-place finish himself in the pole vault with an even 4.00m mark.

Hunter Zangerle would take the top spot in the long jump, with a mark of 6.43m, .41m better than the next best finisher. Zangerle (12.36m, 1^st place) would join teammate Cameron Rynders (12.09m, 2^nd place) in taking the top-2 spots in the men's triple jump, claiming 18 of the events 31 points.

Thanks to several strong showings, the Lakers would eventually claim the 1^st-place position as a team with 207 points. The 5^th nationally ranked Lakers would finish ahead of the 4^th ranked Hudson Valley Community College Vikings by 24 points to claim the NJCAA Region III Championship.

Head coach James Bathgate spoke about his conversation with the team after the meet, "I told the guys, you looked into the face of doubt, and you said not today. These guys fed off each other until the end. I can't take full credit for this; Coach Donahue came in and helped put together a great squad that brought us to this point".

Now, the Lakers will look ahead to the NJCAA Division III national championships at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y. from May 12^th to the 14^th with events beginning at 9 AM.

Full Results

4x800 meter relay

Giovanni Ventura, John Zimmerman, Kyle Green, and Hunter Zangerle (8:40.05, 1^st place)

200-meter dash

Austin Franklin (25.05, 6^th place), Cameron Rynders (25.19, 7^th place), and Jake Williams (27.15, 8^th place)

3000-meter steeplechase

John Zimmerman (11:19.40, 2^nd place)

110-meter hurdles

Daniel DiSalvo (19.20, 1^st place)

1500-meter run

Giovanni Ventura (4:33.24, 2^nd place), and Kyle Green (4:51.11, 5^th place)

400-meter hurdles

Daniel DiSalvo (1:07.77, 1^st place), John Zimmerman (1:12.76, 2^nd place), and Memphis Lohnes (1:14.73, 3^rd place)

5000-meter run

Giovanni Ventura (17:04.36, 2^nd place), and John Zimmerman (17:48.70, 4^th place)

4x400 meter relay

Daniel DiSalvo, Memphis Lohnes, Tyqwan Coles, and Giovanni Ventura (4:14.39, 1^st place)

High Jump

Tyqwan Coles (1.61m, 1^st place), and Mysiah Williams (1.55m, 2^nd-place tie)

Pole Vault

Memphis Lohnes (4.00m, 1^st place) 

Long Jump

Hunter Zangerle (6.43m, 1^st place), Tyqwan Coles (5.77m, 3^rd place), and Cameron Rynders (5.72m, 5^th place)

Triple Jump

Hunter Zangerle (12.36m, 1^st place), Cameron Rynders (12.09m, 2^nd place), and Tyqwan Coles (11.73m, 5^th place)

Discus Throw

Dillian Hernandez (26.45m, 4^th place), and Jake Williams (21.86m, 8^th place)

Javelin Throw

Dillian Hernandez (44.85m, 2^nd place), and Jake Williams (29.14m, 6^th place)

Shot Put

Dillian Hernandez (10.48m, 3^rd place), and Jake Williams (6.44m, 9^th place)