On March 1, the Hopkins men’s track and field team won its third straight Centennial Conference Championship. Coming out of the tournament, 14 Blue Jays were named to All-Centennial Conference teams.
Senior Michael Spadaro lead the way for the Jays, earning his second straight Outstanding Field Performer title of the year.
A senior captain, Spadaro grabbed first in the heptathlon, triple jump and long jump. Spadaro finished his long jump with a length of 6.63 meters, breaking his previous personal record and ranking 10th in Hopkins school history.
Joining Spadaro with first-team all-conference honors is sophomore teammate Andrew Bartnett who had a first place finish in the pole vault. Barnett cleared 4.80 meters, claiming the conference title in the pole vault for the second straight season.
“The goal at conferences is always to get as many points as possible toward the team score,” Barnett said. “It’s always a great feeling to know that you contributed in any way to the team title.”
Bartnett and the Jays had a strong performance in the tournament, and they are already looking ahead to the future.
“As an athlete, I am never satisfied,” Bartnett said. “I will work to accomplish as much as possible during my time here. My personal goal is to win nationals and our team’s goal is to win another outdoor conference title.”
Bartnett also earned Mideast Field Athlete of year, which is awarded by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Bartnett consistently helped out the Jays by earning points in his event. His pole vault of 17-00.75 places him second in the nation.
Also earning first team honors was senior Andrew Carey. With a time of 51.49, Carey claimed the top finish, beating sophomore teammate Jesse Poore by .36. Carey was also given second team honors with his second place finish in the 800-meter run.
Senior Andrew Ceruzzi made an important contribution with the very first Blue Jay first place finish in the 5000-meter run. Ceruzzi earned first team honors for the finish as well as a place in the Hopkins history books.
Earning second-team all-conference honors for the Jays was Ceruzzi on the 3000-meter run, junior Devin Conley in the Heptathlon, freshman Alex Kossak in the pole vault and Poore in the 400-meter run.
Honorable mentions in the all-conference teams included sophomore Stefan Arnold in the 3000-meter run, freshman Matt Fischetti in the Heptathlon, junior Trevor Holmgren in the 800-meter run, senior Paul Vozzo in the pole vault and senior Ryan Walsh in the high jump.
Poore was also named to the all-conference Sportsmanship team.
With four players named to the first-team all-conference team and 14 players named total, the men’s track and field team has showed dominance throughout its season so far and will continue its season on March 13 at NCAA Championships in Winston-Salem, N.C.
