GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah Men's Track and Field team concluded their season today at the Middle Atlantic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, finishing out day three of three with a number of standout performances and all-time program top ten marks. The Falcons finished fourth in the team race with a total of 78.5 points, finishing behind Lebanon Valley College, Eastern, Misericordia and just outpacing Widener (fifth, 78 points). The Falcons benefited from three top ten performances, one gold medal, and 11 other scoring performances on a beautiful day of track and field at Starry Field at the new Douglas K. Miller Outdoor Track.
 
Action on the track for Day Three kicked off with the 1500 Meter Run, an exceptionally competitive race with an honest pace from the gun and a quick burnup on the last lap. Kaleb Kabakjian finished as the top of two Falcons, with the silver medalist from the indoor mile claiming fifth in a time of 4:02.11. Kabakjian found himself in the very back of the field as a move was made at the front past the halfway stage, leading to a breakaway pack of four as the field entered the last lap. The sophomore managed to hold off the rest of the athletes in the field with a final lap of 61.30 to earn four team points. Freshman Samuel Hennett, the other Falcon in the field, finished just one spot off of scoring in a personal record time of 4:05.17 in ninth behind a very evenly split race and a quick close of 63.63.
 
One of the Falcons' highlights on the day came in the 400 Meter Dash, where Will Xenakis, the final of eight qualifiers into the final, set his second personal record of the weekend with a stunning time of 49.53. Xenakis entered the home stretch in seventh before beginning an incredible surge that allowed him to move into sixth halfway down the final straight and ultimately just out-lean a competitor by a margin of 0.02 to claim fifth overall. Xenakis' time of 49.53 ties exactly the collegiate personal record time of head coach Dale Fogelsanger, placing Xenakis in a tie with Fogelsanger for fifth in program history. Xenakis' run stands as a personal record by an incredible margin of 0.49 seconds, an improvement that serves as an addition to his 0.23 second personal best in the preliminary round.
 
The 800 Meter Run followed for the Falcons with another highlight, featuring Sean Baxter's sensational run in a time of 1:52.89 to place fourth in the Conference. After running between 1:55 and 1:56 for his last four races, Baxter skipped the 1:54s and 1:53s entirely with his jaw-dropping 1:52.89 performance in one of the fastest races in Middle Atlantic Conference Championship history. Baxter went out quickly before settling into sixth through a blazing first lap of 55.29, continuing to remain patient until making a confident move with 150 meters remaining in the race that saw him move into third place at the beginning of the home stretch. Baxter continued strongly to the line amidst a furious dash to the finish from a number of athletes, emerging in fourth overall with a personal record time by two and a half seconds, a nearly unheard of accomplishment in the 800 Meter. Baxter's time of 1:52.89 places him fifth in program history.
 
The Falcons had a number of athletes competing in the 5000 Meter Run to conclude the individual events on the day, with Kaleb Kabakjian returning from the 1500 Meter to place fifth in a time of 15:13.79. Kabakjian began his race cautiously before making a big move after two kilometers of racing to bridge the large gap between his chase pack and the leading four athletes, at one point sitting in third in the middle of the leading pack. Kabakjian found himself alone on the track after moves were made by those in the leading pack but managed to hold off all athletes from the chase pack with an excellent close, securing four additional team points for the Falcons. Josiah Carnwath returned from yesterday's 3000 Meter Steeplechase to push Kabakjian to the line and place sixth in a time of 15:16.86. Samuel Hennett also returned from the 1500 Meter less than two hours before to finish in eighth with a very impressive and gutsy run of 15:23.16 that saw him move into a scoring position with less than 50 meters left in the race.
 
The final event on the track was the 4x400 Meter Relay, in which the Falcons finished fourth in a time of 3:23.61. The Falcons benefited from a team-leading split of 49.9 from Baxter out of blocks, with a stellar close of 50.4 from Xenakis cementing their fourth-place finish.
 
In the field, the Falcons beneftted from the scoring performance of Ezra Zook, who finished in a two-way tie for eighth in the Pole Vault to earn 0.5 team points for the Falcons. Zook had a top clearance at 4.03 meters (13' 2.75") on his second attempt. Zook's half point ultimately proved to be one part of many in the Falcons' finish of fourth overall in the team standings thanks to an 0.5 point advantage over Widener. 
 
In the Javelin, Cooper Schwartz finished as the top Falcon with a throw of 49.37 meters (162' 0"), a throw within a few inches of the freshman's personal record that allowed him to place 12th. Joseph Dunbar also participated in the Javelin, finishing with a top mark of 45.58 meters (149' 6"), while yesterday's silver medalist in the Decathlon, Jed Colyer, placed 19th with a throw of 43.75 meters (143' 6"). 
 
Zion Buck featured for the Falcons in the Triple Jump, with the sophomore finishing in sixth place behind a top jump of 13.95 meters (45' 9.25"). Buck's finish near 14 meters stands out as a wonderful performance amidst an exceptionally competitive day in the Triple Jump that saw five athletes surpass the 14 meter barrier. Buck turned in an extremely consistent slate of jumps, leaping no less than 13.63 meters in six valid attempts on the runway. Joseph Dunbar finished with a personal best jump of 12.69 meters (41' 7.5") to place 17th, a great result for the freshman.
 
The Falcons earned their second gold medal of these championships thanks to Nathan Bowman's performance in the Shot Put, with the sophomore narrowly holding off all challengers behind a top throw of 15.84 meters(51' 11.5"). Ted Lechthaler finished in fourth with a new personal best throw of 15.09 meters (49' 6"), his first throw over 15 meters that improves his own fourth-best mark in program history, contributing five additional points to the Falcons' total. Luke Bosma finished with a mark of 13.26 meters (43' 6") and was followed by Anthony Russo's 12.60 meters (41' 4") heave and Jake Holland's mark of 10.67 meters (35' 0"). 
 
For most of the Falcons, these Middle Atlantic Conference championships mark the culmination of their season. Several Falcons may participate in a last chance meet in the weeks to come in order to take advantage of their fitness to register one more mark before concluding their seasons.

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