KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Jake Wickey got the opening working day of the Mid-American Conference Men’s Out of doors Track and Area Championships started off with his initial career hammer toss title and Kent Point out concluded Thursday in first spot with 42 details.
A 4-time weight throw winner at the meeting indoor meet up with, gold in the hammer throw experienced eluded Wickey, who placed next in 2019 and 3rd in 2021. The fifth-12 months thrower entered as the MAC leader in the event and with momentum pursuing new individual-greatest throws in each individual of his previous two fulfills. Thursday morning’s level of competition did not go as prepared, and Wickey sat sixth moving into finals adhering to fouls on his next and third makes an attempt. He improved his mark on his fourth and fifth throws to go into third position. On his closing try, Wickey unleashed a successful heave of 210′-11″.
Scott Benco and Bradley Heck completed second and 3rd, respectively, in the javelin toss to score 14 factors. The Golden Flashes duo held the prime two places getting into the closing round, but Japanese Michigan’s Joe Duff recorded a 14′ PR to get the title. Benco, who won the party a calendar year back, opened the competitiveness with a toss of 214′-6″ to consider second. Heck conquer his preceding individual-finest set just two months in the past on each individual of his first 3 attempts, and his mark of 213′-5″ ranks ninth all-time in Kent Point out history.
Lukas Van Der Watt took second in the pole vault with a peak of 16′-4.75″. The bar was then elevated to 17′-1.75″, but Van Der Watt was not able to crystal clear it in his 3 probabilities. Jacob Mally cleared 13′-5.25″ to take fifth.
Nick Stricklen also acquired All-MAC honors, ending next in the 10,000-meter operate in 30:17.96.
Alexander Shields (3,871) and Jacob Mally (3,707) sit atop the decathlon standings, as both of those set new Day 1 PRs. Shields commenced the opposition by winning the 100-meter sprint in 11.01 seconds and the long bounce with a mark of 23′-3.25″, an out of doors personal-ideal. He followed with a PR of 45′-3″ to location 3rd in the shot set and shut with runner-up initiatives in the superior leap (6′-3.5″) and 400-meter sprint (51.83).
Mally ran a 100m personalized-best time of 11.24 and followed with a second-spot effort and hard work in the long soar (22′-2.25″). Just after taking fifth in the shot set (39′-3″), he received the higher soar with an outside PR of 6′-8.25″ for his best scoring event of the working day. Mally took 3rd in the 400m with a time of 52.62 and heads into Friday 153 factors in advance of the third-location competitor.
In the only preliminary race of the working day, Asa Hodrick and Jaheim Jones both equally state-of-the-art in the 200-meter sprint. Hodrick concluded initially with a season-greatest time of 21.12 and Jones’ time of 21.44 is an outside PR.
Day two will resume at 11 a.m. with the decathlon 110-meter hurdles. Area situations start out with the shot place at 12:30 p.m. and managing prelims start off at 3:10 p.m. with the 110-meter hurdles.
Day 1 Standings

1. Kent Condition – 42

2. Jap Michigan – 36

3. Akron – 33

4. Buffalo – 7

5. Miami – 6