The men’s track team most recently competed against talented schools in various meets including the two-day Widener Invitational, the Larry Ellis Invitational and the Mount Mullis Meet.
The Hopkins men ran competitively across the board to show well against the likes of Villanova, Temple, Haverford and others. Freshman Trevor Holmgren was one of many runners who placed well at the Widener Invitational. Holmgren set the Hopkins freshman record in the 800-meter race with a time of 1:55.62. Holmgren, along with most of the men on the Hopkins track team, steadily improved as the season progressed.
Holmgren credited his accomplishment to guideance from his teammates and coaches.
“I am very excited about my progress and that I am able to make a team contribution in the 800 meter run, which has always been my favorite event,” the freshman from San Ramon, Calif. said. “My coaches and teammates all have helped me rebound from a rocky start by giving me additional training components and lots of encouragement.”
Holmgren turns his focus to future events and bigger upcoming events at the end of the season.
“Personal records are broken every weekend and we certainly hope to improve our overall team marks this season.”
Holmgren concluded his commentary by mentioning the relentless drive of his squad.
“It is great to be a part of the Hopkins team because everyone is committed to continued step-by-step improvements even with the many obstacles to overcome along the way.”
However, Holmgren was not the only Hopkins runner to fair well against the talented field. Andrew Carey also ran well in the 800m event placing 6th, just four spots behind the new Hopkins freshman record holder.
Sophomore Ryan Walsh and junior Brendan Evans each won their individual events in the field events. Walsh won the high jump by jumping 6’4.75” (1.95m) and Evans won the long jump with a leap of 21’2.75” (6.47m). Both marks were season bests, showing that the Hopkins team is getting stronger as the season winds down.
At the Mount Multis meet, athletes competed in the decathlon, a test of not only physical prowess but also mental strength and will power. A decathlon consists of ten events, ranging from the javelin throw and the shot put to a hurdles event and a distance run.
Hopkins decathlete Michael Spadaro had his best showing of the year and placed third in the process. Spadaro thinks it is important to maintain composure, stay grounded and treat every event with the exact same importance during the decathlon.
“Besides knowing how to do all the events it is important to have a very level head when competing,” the 5’11” sophomore from Holland, Pennsylvania said. “You go from event to event and if you do poorly in a single event, you cannot get down on yourself. When you have a bad event it can end up affecting your overall performance just because you get down on yourself.”
Spadaro also spoke very highly of his teammates and fellow decathletes Devin Conley and Nick Tyson.
“Both Nick and Devin did great as well. Everyone who went set personal bests and I think part of the reason we did so well was because we were there for each other and helped one another with the events we were individually better at.”
Conley, a freshman, competed in his first ever decathlon and placed sixth, while Tyson finished right behind him in seventh.
The Mount Multis meet served as a warm-up for the conference championships and nationals. All three hope to learn from their performances and train harder for the big meets at the end of the year.
Spadaro commented on the benefits of having a practice run before Centenniel Conference Championships.
“We will most likely all be competing in the decathlon again at conferences so it was good to have one beforehand,” the veteran said. “I didn’t have that luxury last year and I feel like it really hurt me. This year, I am very optimistic for all three of us and I think we will be good for a couple years to come.”
Next up for the Hopkins boys is the Penn Relays at the University of Pennsylvania over the weekend of April 25-April 27.
The Penn Relays is a massive event, with hundreds of teams of all levels gathering to compete. Other Maryland teams competing include Towson, UMBC and Mount St. Mary’s, to name a few. Additionally, conference competitor McDaniel will also make the trip.
The Jays are preparing for the Centennial Conference Championships in the first week of May and hope to qualify for events in the NCAA Championships in LaCrosse, Wisconsin from May 23 to May 25.
