Solid Relay Performance Clinches Horizon League Outdoor Championship

by YSU

Tuesday, May 10, 2016 6:58 am

Valparaiso, Ind. – The Youngstown State men's track and field team won the Horizon League Outdoor Championship after another close battle against Milwaukee for the title. The hard-fought meet concluded on Sunday afternoon at the Warren G. Hoger Track at Brown Field.

YSU won by two points as the Penguins had a final score of 183 points while Milwaukee had 181 points for second place. The Guins swept titles this season as they add on an outdoor title along with the indoor championships they won early this season. It was YSU's second outdoor title, the other coming in 2014.

The Penguins, who led by 25 points after the first two days of competition, were in a tight battle with the Panthers all afternoon. Milwaukee rallied and took the lead after the 400-meter hurdles by five points setting up a strong back-and-forth battle late in the meet.

Strong performances by the YSU sprinters gave the Penguins a five-point lead entering the final event, the 4x400 meter relay. As has often been the case between YSU and Milwaukee through the years, the final result came down to the last relay.

YSU had a slim 178-173 entering the relay and if Milwaukee were to win, it needed a fourth-place finish to tie the Panthers for the title. Detroit's Khalil Parris' anchor lap pushed the Titans into first in the 4x400 meter relay, relegating Milwaukee to second by just .20 seconds. Behind them, Leighton Antonio overcame Valparaiso's anchor in the closing stretch, pushing the Penguins into fourth place with a time of 3:20.75. The combination allowed Youngstown State to hold off Milwaukee, 183-181.

The previous closest margin of victory in the meet was 10 points.

Conner Neu won his third straight title in the hammer throw and set a new Horizon League meet record with a throw of 69.61 meters. He is one of just two athletes - Matt Groh of Detroit is the other - to win three hammer throw titles.

In the 110-meter hurdles, Chad Zallow placed second with a time of 14.82 seconds as Caleb Lloyd took sixth to clock a time of 15.26 seconds. Lloyd also finished third in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 54.77 seconds.

For the 100-meter dash, Antonio took second to post a time of 10.66 seconds and Carl Zallow was right behind him to place third with a time of 10.68 seconds.

In the 200-meter dash, Antonio came in second with a time of 21.46 seconds and again Carl Zallow was behind him to take third to post a time of 21.64 seconds.

In the distance event, Ryan Sullivan came in fourth in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14:43.87. Sullivan's performance along with a fifth-place finish by Arnaldo Morales in the triple jump allowed the Guins to carry their five-point lead into the last relay.

The 4x100 relay consisting of Antonio, Carl Zallow, Marcellus Embry and Lasander Washington placed second with a time of 41.10 seconds just behind Milwaukee.

The men's individual award winners were Morales who was named Field Outstanding Performer, Neu was awarded the Alfreeda Goff Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and Coach Brian Gorby was named Coach of the Year.