PALATINE, Ill. – Talent and commitment are two important qualities, especially for a college track and field team. Athletes must possess both qualities to produce excellence. The 2016 Harper College men's track and field team has student-athletes with both of these traits.
The Hawks will put these qualities to the test, as they open their three-month-long season with an indoor meet on Saturday morning at the UW-Parkside Classic in Somers, Wisconsin.
Harper returns seven athletes from last year's team that was runner-up at the 2015 NJCAA Division III Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championship, the second straight year the team placed second. The Hawks have won five of the last nine national titles. Returning sophomores include Tyler Block (/Conant), Adam Brauer (Palatine, lll./Palatine), Nick Dorsen (/Palatine), Laith Kanan (/Palatine), Ricky Ruano (/Palatine), Eric Theis (/Palatine), and T.J. Paton (Fairfield, Calif./Hersey).
"This is a very talented group. I have no doubt that they have a successful season," said Harper head coach Renee Zellner.
The distance crew has a championship pedigree, as all of its members were a part of the Hawks cross country team that won its fifth straight national title in the fall at the 2015 NJCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championship. Brauer, Paton, Will Troman (/Streamwood), Kurtis Monahan (Inverness, Ill. /Barrington), and Eddie Lamas (Schaumburg, Ill. /Schaumburg) will all compete in either middle distance or distance events.
The sprint team should be strong with sophomores and national qualifiers Block, Dorsen, Theis, and Ruano. Newcomers Dwayne Esper (/Illinois School for the Deaf), Justin Tolentino (/Dundee-Crown), and Jarman McMillon will complete that group. Theis will also cover the 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles and relays, and Ruano will join him in the 400m hurdles as well as competing in his first decathlon.
This season's group of jumpers, who will focus on triple and long jump, should be very competitive. They include Block, Dorsen, Tolentino, Keyshawn Brown (/Elk Grove), and Andre Russell McGraw (/Rolling Meadows).
Freshman Dan Kim will look to earn points in the pole vault.
In hope of continuing the 16-year winning tradition for throwers, coach Zellner will look to sophomore All-American Laith Kanan (/Palatine), who is focusing on improving all of his distances in the four throwing events. Freshmen Nick Pavlovic and Brandon Soriano (/Elk Grove), who are both hard workers and committed athletes, will be focusing on adding important points in the throwing events.
New to the staff this season is volunteer assistant coach Dan Lowry, who was the national champion in hammer for the Hawks in 2013. Lowry went on to compete at North Central College and will use his expertise to assist in the throws and weight training. The staff is also comprised of Jim Macnider (Distance), Brian Sullivan (Sprints, Jumps, Weights), and volunteer assistant Eric Wallor (Distance).
Following the UW-Parkside Classic, Harper competes at the Chicagoland Indoor Championships hosted by North Central College on Feb. 13. The Hawks return to North Central for the Cardinal Classic Feb. 19 and then will compete at Carthage Classic on March 4.
Harper opens its outdoor season on March 24 at the Augustana Invite, followed by the Wheaton College Early Invite April 2. The rest of the regular season meets goes as follows: Chicagoland Outdoor Championships hosted by College of DuPage (April 9), Illinois Benedictine (April 15-16), Concordia University Invite (April 22), Jesse Owens Classic at Ohio State (April 22), and Carroll University Invite (April 30).
All of this culminates in the 2016 NJCAA Division III Men's Track & Field Championships in Westfield, MA May 7-8. Westfield State University is the host school for the event.
