Hawks Post Breakthrough Performances at F. Lee Slick Invite

Naperville, IL: The Hawks men's track and field team delivered one of its strongest meets of the indoor season at the F. Lee Slick Invite, hosted by North Central College on February 20th at the Al B. Carius Track. The Hawks saw nine of 19 athletes record indoor personal bests, four athletes move onto the program's Indoor Top 10 list, and one new national qualifier, continuing their upward trajectory heading into the final meet of the season.

Throws
The throwing group featured Vladyslav Nakhim, Jake Cody, and Joaquin Aguilar, all competing in both the shot put and weight throw. Aguilar led the way with a personal best in the shot put (39' 4" / 11.99m), a mark that also met the national qualifying standard. Nakhim and Cody added solid marks in both events as the group continues to build consistency.

Sprints & Jumps
Nine Hawks competed across the sprint and jumping events, with continued consistency and improvement throughout. Dominic Giuseffi once again anchored the sprint group, holding steady with sub-7.00 performances in the 60m and sub-23.00 efforts in the 200m.

Anthony Pupillo recorded another personal best in the 200m, further improving his standing on the Hawks Indoor Top 10 list, while Ryan Cipra also posted a PR in the event.

In the 400m, Justin Brown, Nicholas Navarrete, Joey Okulanis, and Fernando Velásquez all competed, with Navarrete and Velásquez setting personal bests.

In the pole vault, Stefanos Nomikoudis continued his strong progression with another indoor PR, while Stephen Osei added a consistent performance as he builds toward championship form.

Mid-Distance & Distance
The distance group competed in the 800m, mile, and 3,000m, adding three more personal bests to the team total. Ethan Waddell raced solo in the 800m, while a deep group took on the mile including Sean Burke, Ryan Golden, Jerome Graessle, Nate Larsen, and Sebastian Welc.

Three Hawks—Burke, Golden, and Larsen—set indoor personal bests, with Golden's performance moving him up to 5th all-time on Harper's Indoor Top 10 list. Michael Johnson competed in the 3k, continuing to build experience late in the indoor season.

With another productive meet behind them, the Hawks are peaking at the right time. Harper will close out its indoor season on March 6th at the Firebird Finale, hosted by Carthage College, before turning its focus to the outdoor campaign.

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Players Mentioned

Ryan Golden: 1500m / 5k / 10k; Sophomore; 1500 / 5k

Jerome Graessle: 5k / 10k; Sophomore; 5k, 10k

Michael Johnson: Steeple; Sophomore; Steeplechase

Nate Larsen: 800m / 1500m; Sophomore; 800m / 1500m

Vladyslav Nakhim: Throws; Sophomore; Shot Put / Hammer / Discus / Javelin

Nicholas Navarrete: 400mH; Sophomore; 200n /400m / 400m Hurdles

Joey Okulanis: 400m; Freshman; 200m / 400m

Stephen Osei: PV; Sophomore; Pole Vault

Joaquin Aguilar: Throws; Freshman; Shot Put / Hammer / Discus / Javelin

Sean Burke: 1500m; Freshman; 1500m

Ryan Cipra: LJ / 200m / 400m; Freshman; 200m / 400m / Long Jump

Jake Cody: Throws; Freshman; Shot Put / Hammer / Discus / Javelin

Players Mentioned

Ryan Golden
: Sophomore; 1500 / 5k
: 1500m / 5k / 10k

Jerome Graessle
: Sophomore; 5k, 10k
: 5k / 10k

Michael Johnson
: Sophomore; Steeplechase
: Steeple

Nate Larsen
: Sophomore; 800m / 1500m
: 800m / 1500m

Vladyslav Nakhim
: Sophomore; Shot Put / Hammer / Discus / Javelin
: Throws

Nicholas Navarrete
: Sophomore; 200n /400m / 400m Hurdles
: 400mH

Joey Okulanis
: Freshman; 200m / 400m
: 400m

Stephen Osei
: Sophomore; Pole Vault
: PV

Joaquin Aguilar
: Freshman; Shot Put / Hammer / Discus / Javelin
: Throws

Sean Burke
: Freshman; 1500m
: 1500m

Ryan Cipra
: Freshman; 200m / 400m / Long Jump
: LJ / 200m / 400m

Jake Cody
: Freshman; Shot Put / Hammer / Discus / Javelin
: Throws