I. Lanoy leads SSU men's indoor track and field on Day 2 of YSU Mid-Major Invite with runner-up finish in 3,000

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- In a meet where Shawnee State had runners exclusively competing in the 3,000 meter run, the men's track and field program thrived in a major way Saturday evening as the Bears set four top-90 NAIA national times in the event alone, led by a strong second-place showing from star runner Isaiah Lanoy on the second and final day of the Youngstown State Mid-Major Invitational, which was held at the Watson and Tressel Training Site in Youngstown, Ohio.

Lanoy, who finished second in the 5,000 meter run Friday evening, posted his second consecutive runner-up finish in as many days as one of just seven runners in a 70-participant 3,000 meter run field to click off a time underneath 8:40 in the event.

In doing so, Lanoy obliterated his previous personal best in the event -- and was actually the fastest runner who was associated with an official college team Saturday as well, with the only runner finishing ahead of Lanoy being of the unattached variety. Lanoy finished ahead of 15 NCAA Division I participants with his standout time.

Behind Isaiah Lanoy, Dylan French, Trevor Lanoy and Kaiden Lanoy all finished in the top-20 overall in the 3,000 meter run as all three runners finished within five seconds of one another.

French, who finished 11th, nabbed an 8:43.65 to click off a time that was over nine seconds faster than his previous best in the event, while Trevor Lanoy ran an 8:46.42 to finish 14th en route to making it three personal bests for Shawnee State among its top-three finishers. Lanoy's time was over 13 seconds faster than his previous PB.

Between the trio, Isaiah Lanoy, Dylan French and Trevor Lanoy are now third, eighth and 11th all-time in Shawnee State history in terms of the fastest 3,000 meter run times in program history.

Behind them, Kaiden Lanoy's 8:48.35 also shined -- and gave SSU four runners in the top-83 nationally in the 3,000 as Isaiah Lanoy sits 26th, Dylan French 58th, Trevor Lanoy 71st, and Kaiden Lanoy 83rd.

Impressive efforts could even be found further down the order in Garrett Carver and Caden LaRue, who finished 27th and 28th respectively with marks of 9:11.12 and 9:11.52. Carver's time was a personal best by over 26 seconds from his previous standard.

Jerry O'Dell's 9:21.58 rounded out the list of competitors for Shawnee State in the meet.

"It was a great weekend in the 3,000m for the Shawnee men," Shawnee State Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Conner Flynn said. "Isaiah Lanoy and Dylan French were aggressive in their heat. Trevor and Kaiden Lanoy showed great closing ability in their heat after the heat started slow. It's great to walk away knowing all of them have more to give next race. I'm also proud of Garrett, Caden, and Jerry as they showed up with bests of their own."

The Shawnee State men's track and field program will be back in action Friday, Feb. 7 and Saturday, Feb. 8 when the Bears participate in the two-day Jud Logan Light Giver Open at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio.