SSU men's indoor track posts three first places, five seconds; wins Lions Invitational from team standpoint

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- The men's indoor track and field program got a strong effort from each of its competitors Saturday afternoon at the Mount St. Joseph Lions Invitational -- as Luke Rader and Matthew Rauch went one-two in the 60 meter hurdles with Rader also winning the triple jump. Additionally Dylan French and Trevor Lanoy also went 1-2 in the 800 meter run, Cody Hesler added in a runner-up finish in the 400 meter dash, and Rader added in a runner-up finish in the final event scored on the day -- the long jump -- to help Shawnee State pass up Wilmington in the event standings and win the 11-team Lions Invitational, completing a fine performance at the Centennial Fieldhouse and Austin E. Knowlton Fitness Center in Cincinnati.

Rader, a product of nearby Minford High School who transferred to Shawnee State from Marshall prior to the start of the 2024-25 school year, posted an 8.70 to edge out Rauch's 8.85 for the victory in the 60 meter hurdles. The duo were among just three participants to post a time under 8.9 seconds in the event.

Rader then added in a 43-foot, three-and-three-quarters inch triple jump to win a nine-competitor triple jump field. In doing so, Rader added in his second school record and personal best of the day -- having previously done the same in the 60 meter hurdles by winning that event.

French and Trevor Lanoy continue to be as reliable as one could hope for  -- as the duo finished with near identical marks, posting times of 2:03.49 and 2:03.60 to account for Shawnee State's second 1-2 finish -- this time in the 800 meter run. The pair were the only two runners in the 25-participant field to run under 2:04, and were two of just three runners to run underneath two minutes and five seconds total. French also added in a runner-up finish in the one mile, collecting a 4:26.77 in a 19-runner field. French was one of just three runners to run under a 4:30 in the mile.

Hesler, who is a stout runner with much promise ahead, ran a 52.86 to finish second in a 21-runner 400 meter dash field. Hesler was one of just five runners to post a time under 55 seconds in the event.

In field events, the duo of Eli Adkins and Alan Austin were again stout -- as Adkins cleared six feet, two inches in the high jump to finish third out of 13 competitors, while Austin threw a 48-foot, nine-and-three-quarters inch shot put mark to place third out of 21 individuals in the shot.

Wilmington and Shawnee State, who ended up in a firmly entrenched battle for the lead, were scantly separated heading into the final event of the day -- as Wilmington led Shawnee State, 114-107, heading into the long jump.

Enter Rader, who delivered again -- as the sophomore cleared 21 feet, 10-and-a-quarter inches to deliver eight points on his own in the event with a runner-up placement, while Rauch and Connor Ignacio added in fifth and sixth place finishes to combine for nine additional markers to give the Bears additional cushion. Ignacio finished fifth, jumping 20 feet, one inch, while Rauch finished sixth with a 19-foot, nine-and-three-quarters inch jump.

Wilmington ultimately didn't have an individual place in the top eight in the long jump -- giving the victory to Shawnee State as the Bears won the meet by 10 points over the Quakers, 124-114. Kentucky State finished third with 112 tallies while Mount St. Joseph (66) and Union Commonwealth, Ky. (51) rounded out the top-five in terms of points.

"I am proud of the men for their efforts," Shawnee State Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Conner Flynn said. "Many athletes ran several events and made a lot of progress from a racing standpoint. This, resulting in the team win, is nice. There were many athletes who had a great day. Luke Rader and Matthew Rauch had great days, setting several PBs. Dylan French, Trevor Lanoy, and Cody Hesler also contributed well in their respective events."

In additional showings, Caden LaRue added in a fourth place finish in the one mile (4:43.98) while Kaiden Lanoy finished fifth in the 800 meter run (2:07.13).

Relay-wise, Shawnee State's 4-by-400 meter 'A' team, which consists of Trevor Lanoy, Dylan French, Garrett Carver and Luke Butler, clicked off a 3:51.25 to finish fourth, while the SSU 'B' 4-by-400 meter relay grouping of Kaiden Lanoy, Caden LaRue, Jacob Naumovski and Jerry O'Dell finished sixth, running a 3:55.43. The 4-by-200 meter relay unit of Luke Rader, Cody Hesler, Desean Garred and Braxton Noble ran a 1:37.57 to finish fourth.

Rauch, who posted a personal best with his second-place 60 meter hurdle mark mentioned above, added in a 7.71 in the 60 meter dash to set a PB in two short distance events on the day, finishing 29th in the 60 meter dash. Cameron Cannon added in a 7.44 in the 60 meter dash (17th place finish) to post a personal best as while, while Naumovski ran a 4:57.97 in the one mile to collect a personal best from a distance running standpoint -- finishing 12th overall.

A list of the remaining performances are below:

60 meter dash: Garrett McKinniss (eighth, 7.21), Cody Hesler (16th, 7.41), Desean Garred (25th, 7.60), Braxton Noble (26th, 7.62)

200 meter dash: Cody Hesler (ninth, 23.95), Davin Heckard (21st, 24.93), Desean Garred (27th, 25.40), Landon Roberts (31st, 26.18), Eli Adkins (32nd, 26.24)

800 meter run: Caden LaRue (14th, 2:12.75), Jerry O'Dell (15th, 2:15.55), Luke Butler (16th, 2:15.61), Jacob Naumovski (21st, 2:23.63)

One mile: Garrett Carver (seventh, 4:46.12), Jerry O'Dell (ninth, 4:47.50), Luke Butler (13th, 4:58.82), Walker Pannell (16th, 5:07.11)

3,000 meter run: Walker Pannell (13th, 9:58.73), Malachi Shugert (19th, 10:11.69)

Pole vault: Matthew Rauch (third, 11 feet, nine-and-three-quarters inches)

Weight throw: Alan Austin (13th, 40 feet, nine inches), Connor Ignacio (18th, 34 feet, nine inches)

Additional

Shawnee State will be back in action Friday, Jan. 31 when the Bears compete at the Youngstown State Mid-Major Invitational in Youngstown, Ohio and at the Cedarville Collegiate Invitational in Cedarville, Ohio.