READING, Pa. (February 3, 2024) – Senior Federico Yacoubian took second in the 60-meter hurdles to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology men's indoor track and field team Saturday at the Plex Shootout, hosted by Alvernia University at the Tom and Helen Flynn Plex.

Yacoubian posted the top preliminary time, completing the race in 8.79 seconds. He trimmed six-hundredths-of-a-second off his time in the final, reaching the finish in 8.73 seconds. He remains ranked second in the conference with a mark of 8.65 seconds at the Alvernia Winter Invite at the same facility two weeks ago.

Senior Liam Concannon also had a strong race Saturday, placing second in the 3,000 with a time of 8:47.95, while setting a new PR in the process. He's ranked fourth in the conference. Classmate Jake Aylmer also had a top-five finish, coming in fourth in the 800 with a time of 1:59.84 to set a new indoor PR and narrowly miss out on a collegiate PR.

Additionally, the Ducks sent a contingent of athletes to Ursinus College's Frank Colden Invitational in Collegeville, Pennsylvania at the Floy Lewis Bakes Center Field House. Interestingly, the competitors competed in the pentathlon, which is different than both the conference and national meet event. Sophomore Brandon Kiefer totaled 2,90 points to win the event, although the Severna Park, Maryland native did not win any of the five events but had the most balanced performance among the field. Junior Xavier McWilliams placed fourth, while sophomore James Johnson was 11th. Kiefer placed second in both the high jump (1.76 meters) and the long jump (6.22 meters), while McWilliams was second in the shot put (11.57 meters) for the top individual performances. 

The Rundown

• Sophomore Connor Robinson was fifth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.76 seconds. 
• First-year Ryan Paradine placed fifth in the mile with a personal-best time of 4:35.48.
• Graduate student Ronnie Melao joined Concannon with a top-five finish in the 3,000. The Westfield, New Jersey native placed fifth with a time of 8:53.26 to set a new PR. 
• First-year Justin Gajewski was sixth in the triple jump, clearing 11.83 meters on his third attempt to set a new PR. In three meets, the North Bergen, New Jersey native has increased his distance by nearly a half-meter.

Top Performers

• Junior Jake Porco was seventh in the 5,000, finishing the race in 16:05.25 for his fourth-fastest collegiate 5k, regardless of indoor or outdoor competition. Senior Frank Orlando was right behind in ninth place with a time of 16:11.83, narrowly missing an indoor personal best.
• Sophomore Kyle Miller and senior Andrew Anantharajah finished ninth and 10th, respectively, in the pole vault. Each Duck cleared 3.75 meters, with Miller needing one pass at the height, while Anantharajah needed three.
• Senior Colin Keady was eighth in the weight throw with a distance of 13.51 meters on his fourth attempt.

Around the Middle Atlantic Conference

• Joining Stevens at the PLEX Shootout were Albright, Arcadia, Hood, King's, Messiah, Stevenson, York and Widener.
• Beyah Rembert was Albright's top finisher, placing 16th in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.37 seconds. Julian Lewis placed 12th in the triple jump but his mark of 11.13 meters was below the MAC standard.
• For hosting Alvernia, Jack Short paced the team with a strong performance in the 60-meter dash, running the top preliminary time (7.07 seconds) before placing second in the final with a time of 7.08 seconds.
• Myles Sams was Arcadia's top finisher, taking second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.11 seconds. Sams also placed fifth in the long jump, touching 6.37 meters on his third attempt.
• Jamel Mins won the 60-meter dash to lead Hood's contingent. Mins posted a time of 7.14 seconds to rank third in the prelims and then ran a 7.03 to win the final. He was .01 seconds off his conference-leading pace.
• Andrew Novrocki placed third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.25 seconds to move into eighth place in the conference.
• Kyle Costello won the mile to lead Messiah's contingent. He completed the race in 4:27.44 to set a season best.
• Nathan Williams won the shot put to lead Stevenson. Williams reached 15.57 meters on his final attempt. Williams then won the height throw with a distance of 20.54 meters on his third attempt. He moved to the top of the conference standings in the weight throw.
• Samuel Knowles won the 200-meter dash in 22.61 seconds to lead Widener. Thomas Flear also had a top showing, winning the 3000 in 8:47.62. Like their female counterparts, the Pride's men's squad won the 4x200-meter relay. 
• Shaun Apsley was York's highest finisher, winning the 400-meter dash with a time of 52.89 seconds. The Spartans also won the distance medley relay with a time of 11:14.09.
• Delaware Valley competed Friday at NYU's DIII Invitational. James Long-Stratton was the Aggies' top placer, coming in 17th in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.50 seconds.
• Elijah McKell won the 800 in 1:55.62 to pace Lebanon Valley at the Division III Invitational. McKell moved into fourth place in the MAC.
• DeSales also competed at Friday's DIII Invitational. Kyle Dunbar was the Bulldog's top finisher, coming in third in the 400-meter dash (50.86 seconds).
• Eastern was the final team competing at NYU's meet. Robert Walton paced the Eagles by finishing fifth in the 800 with a time of 1:58.03.
• FDU-Florham will compete Sunday in the DeSchriver Invitational, hosted by East Stroudsburg University.

Coach's Comments

• "While I always like keeping the group together, when possible, split squad weekends allow us a level of flexibility we don't normally have. It allows us to make sure all our athletes can compete and that they're in the best situation for them to succeed. While weekends like this can be logistically challenging, I'm incredibly impressed with so many of the results from this weekend.  It's a testament to how well our athletes can adapt to different situations and their preparedness to compete under any circumstance. With our conference championship just three weeks away, our athletes passed an important test this weekend and I'm excited to see how the rest of the season goes."
• "Our men's team had quite a few impressive performances this weekend. From Alvernia, Federico Yacoubian kept up his strong season, placing second in the hurdles. Federico is one of the most naturally gifted athletes I've ever worked with, and even on a day where he wasn't great technically, he was still able to post strong numbers and get inches from a win. Federico's ceiling is near limitless, and when he puts a race together, there aren't too many athletes that will be able to beat him."
• "Liam Concannon also had a great race, scoring a lifetime best in the 3000 meters and placing second in a very talented field. Liam is always a tough out for anyone he competes against and he's looking about as good as he ever has. I'm incredibly excited to see how he performs at our championship in three weeks, as he's in a position to do some spectacular things."
• "At Ursinus, Brandon Kiefer had a great day, winning the rarely contested men's pentathlon.  Brandon made some incredible technical strides this weekend and is getting so much better at making adjustments when needed. He is very talented at so many things and is one of the most fun athletes to watch we've had in a long time."
• "Our men's squad is looking as deep and as talented as ever, and the back half of the season has the potential to be very special." – head coach John Kolibab

Up Next

• Stevens Track & Field returns to Staten Island, New York for the Fastrack National Invitational on Feb. 9. The event marks the Ducks' second meet of the season at the Ocean Breeze Complex.

Athletic Department Social Media
Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics         
X (Formerly Twitter): @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks

Men's Track & Field Social Media
Facebook: "Like" Stevens XC & TF
X (Formerly Twitter): @StevensXC_TF
Instagram: @ StevensXC_TF

#AllRise