MVCC Men's Track and Field Competes at NJCAA Division III National Championships

Mohawk Valley Community College finished 14th overall at the NJCAA Division III National Championships in Utica, New York, with several strong performances across track and field events against national-level competition.

Freshman Alex Keller led the men's team with an All-American performance in the 3000-meter steeplechase, placing second overall in a time of 9:57.97. Keller's finish earned eight team points and highlighted an outstanding freshman season at the national level.

The sprint group produced solid performances throughout the meet. Freshmen Ayden DeBose and Isaiah Reyes competed in the 100-meter dash, posting times of 11.37 and 11.46, respectively. Reyes also competed in the 200-meter dash, running 22.98, while sophomore Jayden Luton added a time of 23.56.

In the hurdles, freshman Brendan Lee recorded a time of 16.69 in the 110-meter hurdles and later competed in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing in 1:02.25. Freshman Jullian Jalowiec led MVCC in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 59.77 and also competed in the triple jump, recording a mark of 11.76 meters.

MVCC also competed in both relay events at the national championships. The 4x100-meter relay team of Ayden DeBose, Jayden Luton, Brendan Lee, and Isaiah Reyes finished in 44.39, while the 4x400-meter relay team of Isaiah Reyes, Jayden Taylor, Jayden Luton, and Jullian Jalowiec posted a time of 3:34.34.

In field events, freshman Andrew Stanley cleared 3.77 meters in the pole vault, while DeBose added a mark of 5.92 meters in the long jump. Sophomore Nino De Las Nieves recorded a jump of 5.40 meters in the same event.

The throwing group was led by freshman Mason Beattie, who placed seventh in the hammer throw with a mark of 40.74 meters to score team points nationally. Beattie also competed in the shot put and javelin, recording marks of 10.94 meters and 39.07 meters, respectively. Freshman Benjamin Nelson added marks of 10.98 meters in the shot put and 37.11 meters in the hammer throw.

Freshman Dylan Jones represented MVCC in the decathlon, finishing with 3,266 points across the two-day competition.

The national championship meet provided valuable experience for a young MVCC men's team, with several freshmen gaining exposure on the national stage while helping the program secure a top-15 finish in the country.