This past weekend, the Hopkins men’s track team was in action at the Widener Invitational. Standout performers included sophomore Andrew Bartnett, who finished first in the pole vault once again, setting a mark of 5.1 meters. Sophomores Zach Jacobson and Mitchell Keller posted strong performances in the discus, finishing third and sixth in the final standings, respectively.
In the 5000 meter run, freshman distance runner Panth Patel led all Hopkins finishers with a third place effort. Patel attributed his success in the race to his approach during practice, and he credits his coaches for reminding him to remain patient over the race’s first 2,000 meters.
“In the 5,000 on Friday, Coach wanted us to cruise along with the pack for the first two miles and to just be ready to go when we hit the final 1,000 meters, so that’s pretty much what we did,” Patel said. “The race did not go out as fast as we would have liked, but Coach was pretty happy that we were ready to respond when the race started to thin out over the final 1,000 meters when the pace picked up.”
As a freshman competing in his first season of collegiate athletics, Patel attributed much of the squad’s success to the leadership of the team’s upperclassmen and the work ethic they instill in others.
“In terms of what approaches helped the performance of the team over the weekend, the team’s attitude has a lot to do with it. On workout days, our captains and upperclassmen bring a lot of energy, which helps push the guys through the reps. This translates into better performances at meets,” Patel said.
As this senior-laden squad once again attempts to repeat as outdoor champions, it remains clear that both the upperclassmen and less experienced performers will have to contribute and deliver solid results.
The standout mid distance runner, junior Sam Gottuso, set a personal record of 1:56.58 in the 800 meter run, good enough for a third place finish.
He attributed both his own success and that of his teammates to the approach that they take in practice, constantly competing and pushing each other to get faster and faster.
While Gottuso initially struggled to replicate his high school marks early on, this newfound dedication has fueled him to achieve personal bests. This ethic has also spread to the rest of the team.
“This race was really important to me because prior to this year, I was struggling a lot with track, not being able to run as fast as I previously did in high school. However, with the help of a great group of guys to train with this year, we’ve really been able to push ourselves more while still enjoying the sport. I think that’s been reflected this weekend with lifetime bests for myself and Dan Bier in the 800 along with season bests for Arvind Arikatla and Colton Takata,” Gotusso said. “Also, last weekend, we saw lifetime bests in the 1,500 for Ian Wilkes and Dan Bier. This positive energy and motivation has spread through the whole team as not only the mid-distance squad performed well but we also saw lifetime bests for many in the long distance, sprints, jumps and throws.”
Other standouts included sophomore Akshay Alaghatta, who finished sixth in the 5,000 meter, and senior standout Ryan Walsh, who cleared 1.97 meters in the high jump en route to a second place finish.
As the team gears up for its championship slate, Gottuso is confident that the Jays will have a great chance of defending their outdoor title.
“In terms of the rest of the season, we’ll be looking to defend our Indoor and last year’s Outdoor Centennial Conference titles at the Conference Championships in two weekends. It’s going to be a really close meet, and we’ll need a whole team effort, but considering the form that everyone is in, I know we’ll get it done,” Gottuso said.
The Jays will travel north to Philadelphia next weekend to compete in the Penn Relays April 23 to 25.
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