Hawks Close Indoor Season with Records and Breakthrough Performances at Firebird Finale

Kenosha, WI: The Hawks men's track and field team capped off its indoor season in impressive fashion at the Firebird Finale, hosted by Carthage College at the Tarble Athletic Center in Kenosha, WI on March 6th. In their final meet of the indoor campaign, the Hawks saw nine of 19 athletes record personal bests, four athletes move onto the program's Indoor Top 10 list, and two new school records, signaling a strong finish heading into the outdoor season.

Leading the way were Dominic Giuseffi and Vladyslav Nakhim, who each etched their names into the Harper record books. Nakhim, who had steadily climbed the program's all-time list throughout the season, broke the indoor weight throw school record with a mark of 54' 6" (16.61m), surpassing the previous record of 54' 0" set in 2009.

Giuseffi added to his historic freshman campaign by tying the 55m school record with a time of 6.48 in prelims. Though he looked poised to break the mark in the finals, an early lean at the finish line resulted in a 6.55. He also continued his dominance in the 200m, improving his own school record in a tightly contested race alongside Anthony Pupillo. The pair finished within .06 seconds of each other and now hold the top two indoor 200m times in program history.

In the throws, Nakhim, Joaquin Aguilar, and Jake Cody all competed in both the shot put and weight throw, providing consistency to close out the season.

The sprints and jumps group delivered several strong performances. Pupillo, Jaylen Calhoun, and Joey Okulanis competed in the 55m, while Ryan Cipra joined Giuseffi and Pupillo in the 200m, posting a personal best of 23.70. Cipra also added a long jump PR of 19' 10.25" (6.05m).

In the 400m, Nicholas Navarrete, Fernando Velásquez, and Okulanis all competed, with Navarrete and Okulanis setting personal bests. Navarrete's time of 52.20 moved him to 9th all-time indoors in program history. Tyler Thymian clocked 8.64 in the 55m hurdles, while Shahwaiz Jan posted a mark of 40' 7.5" (12.38m) in the triple jump. Stephen Osei and Stefanos Nomikoudis both competed in the pole vault, continuing their steady progression.

The distance group closed the meet on a high note. In the mile, Nate Larsen set a personal best of 4:36.58, while Sean Burke also competed. In the 3000m, Ryan Golden and Sebastian Welc both broke through with personal bests of 8:56.93 and 8:58.85, moving them to 3rd and 5th all-time indoors for Harper. Jerome Graessle added depth to the event with another solid performance.

With a record-breaking meet and a season full of progression, the Hawks close the indoor campaign on a high note. Harper will now shift its focus to the outdoor season, set to begin at the end of March.

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Players Mentioned

Jaylen Calhoun: HJ / LJ / 100m / 200m; Sophomore; High Jump / Long Jump / 100m / 200m

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

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

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

Shahwaiz Jan: TJ; Freshman; Triple Jump

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

Tyler Thymian: 110mH; Sophomore; 110m Hurdles

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

Sean Burke: 1500m; Freshman; 1500m

Players Mentioned

Jaylen Calhoun
: Sophomore; High Jump / Long Jump / 100m / 200m
: HJ / LJ / 100m / 200m

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

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

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

Shahwaiz Jan
: Freshman; Triple Jump
: TJ

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

Tyler Thymian
: Sophomore; 110m Hurdles
: 110mH

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

Sean Burke
: Freshman; 1500m
: 1500m