FLUSHING, N.Y. -  The Hunter College men's outdoor track and field team's championship season continued to earn recognition Tuesday morning as the City University of New York Athletic Conference announced its 2026 postseason awards following the Hawks' first CUNYAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship title since 2008. 

Hunter's title-winning performance was powered by seven All-Conference selections, highlighted by dominant efforts on both the track and in the field. 

Senior Hengzhi Zhu delivered one of the most impressive performances of the championship meet, medaling in three distance events. Zhu captured gold in the 10,000 meters with a time of 37:07.38 while also earning silver medals in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (11:32.14) and the 5,000 meters (17:53.56). 

Mateo Penafiel added another first-place finish for the Hawks, winning the 5,000-meter run in 17:23.11. The senior also secured a runner-up finish in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:31.63. 

Fellow senior Benjamin Lahnheim claimed first place in the 400 meters, crossing the line in 1:01.23, and was also recognized for his leadership and character with selection to the All-Conference Sportsmanship Team. 

Sophomore Leonardo Kaplan turned in a standout championship performance of his own, winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 11:12.89 while adding third-place finishes in both the 1,500 meters (4:49.21) and 800 meters (2:16.60). 

Hunter's freshmen also made a major impact in the field events. Anthony Coccarelli captured the discus title with a winning throw of 31.48 meters. Dylan Asuncion earned a pair of silver medals in the long jump and triple jump with marks of 5.97 meters and 12.09 meters, respectively, while Kevon Daniel secured second place in the high jump after clearing 1.78 meters. 

The collection of top finishes capped a historic championship meet for the Hawks, who returned to the top of the conference for the first time in nearly two decades.