DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Panthers earned fifth place in the first-ever Sunshine State Conference Outdoor Track Championship meet. Four individual Panthers stepped onto the podium at the end of the day, and
Filippo Bessi earned the men's top freshman award.
The day began with the longest event, the 10,000-meter dash, and four Panthers competed in it.
Tyler Herrera led the pack, finishing in 11
th with a personal-best time of 32:25.12.
Anthony Akpan and
Bradley Erskine Jr. sprinted to 10.63 and a 10.84, qualifying for the 100-meter finals. It was the first time Erskine ran under 11 seconds in the 100-meter. Both improved one spot in the finals, with Akpan taking silver and Erskine placing seventh.
Akpan continued to excel at the conference meet. Two events later, he took fourth and made the finals in the 200-meter race, flying to a 21.46. Again, improving his standing in the finals, the Nigerian native made the podium for the third time, finishing in third place.
His second podium appearance was his second silver medal, helped by three other Panthers in Erskine, Bessi, and
Ese Oguma.
An impactful 400-meter race saw Bessi and Oguma run personal records (48.99 and 49.35), sneaking in team points at seventh and eighth place, respectively.
On his birthday,
Dominic Longobardi exceeded his career record by clocking 1:55.47 in the 800-meter.
The highlight of Saturday came when Bessi passed a Tampa runner in the final 10 meters of the 400-meter hurdles, becoming the program's first SSC Champion. The Italian cooked up a personal record of 54.31 and the gold medal.
Wrapping up the conference meet, Bessi, Longobardi, Oguma, and
Jason Hargesheimer placed fifth in the 4x400 relay, sealing the Panthers' fifth-place finish.
SSC Championships Standings
- Florida Southern - 111
- Tampa - 94
- Embry-Riddle - 91
- Lynn - 72
- Florida Tech - 43
- Nova Southeastern - 35
- Barry - 17
- Palm Beach Atlantic - 1
UP NEXT: A few Panthers will still compete in the Knight Invite on Friday, April 25, hoping to make NCAA qualifying times.
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.
