May 1, 2021

The Basics

• The lead: Junior Nicolas Re set a facility record in the pole vault to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology outdoor track and field team Saturday at the Monarch Open, hosted by King's College. 
• Location: Betzler Athletic Complex - Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
• Short Story: In the final meet before the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships, Re cleared 4.40 meters to top the previous facility mark of 4.30 meters, set by Ryan Atcavage in 2019. The height shattered his previous personal-best of 4.25 meters. The Bernardsville, New Jersey native is currently ranked second in the conference and seventh in the Atlantic Region.
• The Score: Team scores were not compiled

Top Finish

• The Ducks' 4x400-meter relay team of senior Danny LaMastra, first-year Dhavan Antala, sophomore Ronnie Melao and graduate student Nicholas DiMaria topped the field in 3:29.64. 

Key Performances

• Melao also placed second in the 1,500, with a time of 4:12.87. First-year Liam Concannon took third with a time of 4:22.56. Melao is currently ranked 18th in the conference in the event.
• Senior Amar Bindra ran his first outdoor 200 since April 2019 and posted a time of 23.42 to qualify for the conference championship meet. He also completed the 400-meter dash in 52.22 seconds. He placed second in each race.
• Antala finished second in the 800, reaching the finish in 2:00.38. Antala holds the 16th-fastest time in the MAC heading into the conference meet.
• LaMastra placed third in the long jump, reaching 6.06 meters.
• Junior Enis Rama finished second in the pole vault with a height of 4.10 meters. 

From the Blocks

• "Our men's team had a nice final tune-up for the MAC Championships next week. Aside from Nicolas Re, we didn't do anything too flashy, but the effort was solid across the board and the pieces are coming together for us to make a strong collective push. We know what we need to work on, and we will use this week of practice to make some final tweaks." - head coach Lance Harden
• "Nick Re had another lifetime best in the pole vault today. He's been on a mission this season. This is Nick's 3rd PR in the last month and it's all attributed to his speed and confidence. More often than not the fastest pole vaulter is the one who wins the competition, and recently he's been flying on his approach. If he keeps this up, we can expect even higher clearances from him going forward." - assistant coach John Kolibab
• "The week before conferences isn't all about the marks. It's a great opportunity to make strides in technical aspects and that is exactly what Colin Keady did this week. To see how much he has grown technically since the beginning of the season is very exciting and I think he's ready to shock some people at the conference meet next week." -Tim Wilson

Up Next

• Men's Track & Field returns to Widener University for the third time this season on May 6 for the three-day MAC Championships.

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