GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The Panther men's indoor track team started their season on Friday at the Jimmy Carnes College Invitational, held at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center. Tech earned two top-10 finishes and another top-15 finish.
Dominic Longobardi had a stellar performance in his collegiate indoor track debut, finishing sixth overall in the 1000-meter run at 2:32.14. The freshman would later win his heat in the 800-meter run, breaking the 2-minute barrier for a 1:58.99.
Ryan Zerneke also ran in the 1000-meter event, clocking in at 2:58.40.
A Mid-year addition,
Thomas Carpenter, competed in his first event as a Panther, recording a 4:27.92 in the mile run.
Lachlan McCure finished second among Tech runners, sporting a 4:32.67.
Jake Greene,
Jack Schule, and
Joshua Fernandez-Alvarado crossed the finish line one after the other with times of 4:44.57, 4:46.89, and 4:48.35, respectively.
In the 60-meter hurdle prelims,
Diego Estebanes ran a 9.41 to begin his collegiate career. In the 60-meter dash, Cumberland University transfer
Anthony Akpan placed 25th with a 6.97 second time.
Former NJCAA All-American
Ese Oguma showed out in the 300-meter run, earning seventh place, running a 35.60.
Alvaro Cameo also competed in the event, finishing in 40.74 seconds.
Filippo Bessi, a native of Merone Lombardia, Italy, cooked his opponents in his heat. He crossed the line first and placed 17
th overall in the 400-meter dash with a 50.49.
Jason Hargesheimer also finished first in his heat while sprinting to a 51.10 for 24
th place.
Bessi and Hargesheimer also competed in the 800-meter dash, finishing just over 2 minutes at 2:02.40 and 2:06.76. The 800-meter race was the second event for Fernandez-Alvaro and Schule, who also ran and placed in the top 50.
The 200-meter run saw two Panthers make the top-40 in Oguma and Bradley Erskine.
Ben Peck was as dominant at the start of the indoor season as he was during the cross country season. Peck scorched the 3000-meter event in 8:33.96 and took 13th place with only two Division II runners ahead of him.
The Panthers' throwers, Santiago Florez-Tascon Gamero and
Nathan Davis grabbed 27th and 30th.
Tech wrapped up the meet, running the ninth fastest time in the 4x400 relay with 3:26.04. The Florida Tech relay consisted of Bessi, Estabanes, Hargesheimer, and Oguma
UP NEXT:
The Panthers will return to competition next weekend in Gainesville at the two-day RADD Sports Invitational.
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Florida Tech men's track team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
