Hawks Crowned National Runners-Up at NJCAA DIII Championships

Utica, NY: The Harper men's track and field team closed out a memorable season with a second-place team finish at the 2025 NJCAA Division III National Championship, hosted by Mohawk Valley Community College at Thomas R. Proctor Track in Utica, NY. Ranked second entering the meet, the Hawks proved their position with consistent performances across all three days of competition, claiming national titles, relay wins, and dozens of scoring efforts.

Thursday: Strong Start in the Field and Distance
The meet opened with personal bests from Rodolfo Martinez and Vladyslav Nakhim in the hammer throw, finishing 9th and 11th, narrowly missing out on scoring. Nakhim came back later in the javelin to place 4th with another personal best.

In the triple jump, Shamar Allwood landed a season-best to take 3rd, while in the pole vault, Stephen Osei soared to national runner-up.

The 4x800m relay squad of Owen Whelan, Connor Ariunbat, Jason Schmidt, and Dakota White raced to a national runner-up finish, continuing Harper's dominance in distance relays. Later, the 4x100m relay team of Jaylen Calhoun, Fortis Variano, Lucas McMillan, and Ivan Rodriguez advanced comfortably through prelims, finishing second.

The night closed with a thrilling 10,000m final, where the Hawks packed the podium with Jose Morales (2nd), Jerome Graessle (3rd), and RJ Moniri (9th).

Friday: Key Prelim Success and Steeplechase Points
Friday opened with the 3,000m steeplechase, where Schmidt (3rd) and Michael Johnson (6th) scored vital points. Calhoun placed 5th in the high jump.

The Hawks had a busy day of prelims:

In the 400m, Andrew Rashad and Variano advanced to finals, while Anthony LoBue finished slowly due to a hamstring injury. Rodriguez advanced in both the 100m (8th) and 200m (7th), capping a full sprint schedule. Prince Ellington and Tyler Thymian both moved on in the 110m hurdles, ranked 1st and 7th in prelims. White, fresh off the 4x800 anchor the day prior, qualified in the 800m, as did Nicholas Navarrete in the 400m hurdles (7th). The 4x400m relay team of McMillan, White, Justin Brown, and Joel Jones finished second in prelims to earn a spot in Saturday's final.

Saturday: Finals Deliver Podium and Title Moments
Championship Saturday saw Calhoun (6th) and Ellington (7th) score in the long jump, with Allwood just outside the points.

The 4x100m relay team of Calhoun, Rashad, McMillan, and Rodriguez kicked things off with a second-place national finish. In the 1500m, Ryan Golden and Whelan finished 3rd and 4th, adding key distance points. In the 400m, Rashad placed 5th and Variano 7th, while Rodriguez ran a huge PR in the 100m to finish 8th.

Ellington delivered a major highlight, becoming a national champion in the 110m hurdles, with Thymian grabbing 7th.

White came back strong in the 800m to finish 4th, and Navarrete improved to 6th in the 400m hurdles. Rodriguez capped his individual events by tying his PR in the 200m to place 7th.

In the 5,000m, the Hawks again showed their distance depth: Whelan (3rd), Golden (4th), and Morales (8th) all added points late.

The meet concluded with fireworks as the 4x400m relay team of McMillan, Variano, Jones, and Rashad stormed to a national title, closing out the meet in championship fashion.

A Trophy Returns to Harper
With a full team effort across sprints, distance, jumps, and throws, the Hawks earned the National Runner-Up trophy, their first top-two finish since 2015. It was a fitting end to a remarkable season defined by depth, development, and championship-caliber resolve.

The Hawks return home with medals, hardware, and momentum—proving once again that Harper Track & Field is among the best in the nation.

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Players Mentioned

Lucas McMillan: Sophomore; Pole Vault, 100m, 200m, 400m

Jason Schmidt: Sophomore; 800m, 1500m, Steeplechase

Fortis Variano: Sophomore; 200m, 400m, Relays

Owen Whelan: Sophomore; 1500m, 5k

Dakota White: Sophomore; 800m, 1500m

Connor Ariunbat: Mid Dist.; Freshman

Jerome Graessle: Dist.; Freshman

Michael Johnson: Mid Dist.; Freshman

RJ Moniri: Freshman; 1500m, 5k

Ryan Golden: Mid Dist.; Freshman

Shamar Allwood: Jumps; Freshman

Justin Brown: Sprints; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Lucas McMillan
: Sophomore; Pole Vault, 100m, 200m, 400m

Jason Schmidt
: Sophomore; 800m, 1500m, Steeplechase

Fortis Variano
: Sophomore; 200m, 400m, Relays

Owen Whelan
: Sophomore; 1500m, 5k

Dakota White
: Sophomore; 800m, 1500m

Connor Ariunbat
: Freshman
: Mid Dist.

Jerome Graessle
: Freshman
: Dist.

Michael Johnson
: Freshman
: Mid Dist.

RJ Moniri
: Freshman; 1500m, 5k

Ryan Golden
: Freshman
: Mid Dist.

Shamar Allwood
: Freshman
: Jumps

Justin Brown
: Freshman
: Sprints