Staten Island, N.Y.- The Hunter College men's indoor track and field team delivered a strong performance at the Spartan Invitational hosted by St. Thomas Aquinas College on Friday at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex. Competing against athletes from top Division I, II, and III programs, the Hawks posted impressive results, particularly within the CUNYAC conference rankings.
In the 60-meter dash, Hamza Elsherbiny clocked in at 7.57 to finish 88th out of 112 competitors, placing him ninth in the conference standings. The Hawks dominated the mile, led by Melvil Badier, who ran an impressive 4:34.94 to place 20th overall and earn the top spot in the CUNYAC rankings. He was joined by teammates Leonardo Kaplan, who finished 34th overall with a time of 4:53.98 (second in the conference), and Hengzhi Zhu, who placed 48th overall with a 5:05.20 effort (third in the conference).
In the 400-meter dash, Benjamin Landheim crossed the line in 53.53 to finish 52nd out of 88 athletes and claim third in the conference rankings. Conor Sullivan led the Hawks in the 800-meter run, placing 35th overall with a time of 2:11.81 to secure the top conference ranking. In the 200-meter dash, Benjamin Landheim posted a time of 24.21 to finish 77th, ranking sixth in the conference, while Hamza Elsherbiny ran 24.66 for 86th place and ninth in the conference standings.
The distance medley relay team of Hengzhi Zhu, Paul Patino, Angel Martinez, and Harrison Abarca posted a time of 12:59.71 to finish 16th overall and take first place in the CUNYAC.
In the field, the Hawks shone in the jumps, with standout performances from Solomon Kumi. He placed 14th overall in the high jump with a leap of 1.83 meters, earning first place in the conference. Kumi also recorded a mark of 6.05 meters in the long jump, ranking second in the conference, and delivered a 12.13-meter performance in the triple jump, securing another first-place conference ranking.
In the shot put, Benjamin Landheim led the Hawks with a throw of 8.30 meters, finishing 45th overall and ninth in the conference. He was joined by Cristian Rocha (7.01m, 50th overall, 10th in conference), Hamza Elsherbiny (6.74m, 51st overall, 11th in conference), and Jon Ball (6.29m, 53rd overall, 12th in conference).
In the weight throw, Jon Ball posted a 7.02-meter effort to rank 36th overall and ninth in the conference, while Cristian Rocha recorded a mark of 5.64 meters to finish 38th overall and 10th in the conference.
The Purple and Gold return to the track on Jan. 17 as they compete in the Ramapo College Season Opener at the Armory.
