UTICA, NY - The Utica University indoor men's track and field team will head to Hamilton College for the Continental Invite on Friday. The meet is set to begin at 3 p.m. 
 
Follow Along: Live results will be available here through Leone Timing.
 
Last Time Out: Utica earned top honors at Friday's Utica Winter Opener. The Pioneers won a meet title for a second time this season, securing 107 points at the Todd and Jennifer Hutton Sports and Recreation Dome. The Pioneers won six events in their first meet of the 2024 calendar year and piled up four national top 50 performances along the way. Among them was a terrific performance by Andy Hadasz (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) at 200 meters. A time of 22.15 was good enough to take the win and rank seventh nationally. It was a new indoor best for the established Pioneer sprinter. He improved his #2 all-time program performance with Friday's time. Ethan Kain (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) was eighth in the same event with a time of 23.39. In the throws, the triple threat of Hunter Logan (Fort Plain, NY/Herkimer College), Antwan Kelly (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), and Justin Swavely (Rome, NY/RFA) wreaked havoc on the national leaderboards as expected at this time of year. In the shot put, Logan soared his sixth and final throw out to 16.11 meters to win, and place himself ninth nationally in his first official NCAA competition representing Utica since the NCAA Outdoor Championships in May. Kelly and Swavely put on a show in the weight throw on their way to a 1-2 finish. Kelly's best mark of the day went 17.83 meters to take the win. He was just over two inches away from resetting his own school record and is currently 10th nationally. Swavely's 15.71 meter runner-up heave places him third all-time at Utica, and 44th nationally as it currently stands. Billie Mays III (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) was third in the shot put with his throw of 13.39 meters. In the Pole Vault, sophomore Jack Rathburn (Clarendon Hills, IL/Westmont) won on tiebreakers, where he outdueled Oneonta's Michael Carey. His 4.00-meter clearance to take the win places him eighth all-time in the fifteen-year life of the program. That is the third-best performance in the Empire 8 this season. At 400 meters, Nolan Flynn (Bethel, CT/Bethel) ran the second-fastest time of his collegiate indoor career to secure victory with a time of 51.07. That is the Empire 8 Conference's fastest time this season. Jonathan Simmons (Broadalbin, NY/Broadalbin-Perth) was third at a time of 53.79. The men's 4x200 relay team of Flynn, Hadasz, Kain, and Shane Tinney (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) fended off a tough challenge from second-place Union to win with a combined time of 1:33.11. Rookies Tanner Warren and Evan Smith (Baldwinsville, NY/Baker) set the team's pace at 500 meters by placing fourth and fifth, respectively. Warren covered the distance in 1:07.92, while Smith crossed the line in 1:09.24. Warren's time ranks sixth on the program's all-time list. At 1,000 meters, Anthony Leotta (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollows Hills West) took fifth place with a time of 2:38.1. He grabbed four team points while competing against a field composed mainly of Division I and Division II athletes. In the jumps competition, Connor Dean (Taberg, Ny/Camden), Cooper Jones (Rio Rancho, NM/Rio Rancho), and Theodore Tsamis (Richmondville, NY/Cobleskill-Richmondville) cleared 1.72 meters in the high jump. Dean was sixth, while Jones and Tsamis tied for the seventh spot. Dean was also seventh in the long jump at 6.27 meters. Dean's high jump and long jump marks are season bests for his rookie indoor campaign.
 
And, He's Back: Andy Hadasz (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) had a dominant showing in the 200m in his first meet of the season. His time of 22.15 not only qualifies him for regionals but also has him currently ranked eighth nationally. Hadasz also leads the Empire 8 conference in this event and is #2 all-time in program history.
 
Dynamic Duo: In their first meet of the 2024 season, throwers Antwan Kelly (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) and Hunter Logan (Fort Plain, NY/Herkimer College) returned and made an immediate impact. Logan's throw of 16.11m has him regionally qualified, and currently ranks 10th nationally. Also currently ranked tenth in the nation and regionally qualified is Antwan Kelly (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) in the weight throw. His toss of 17.83m is one of the best marks of his decorated career at Utica and was just short of his personal best throw of 17.90m. 
 
New Kids On The Track: The Utica men's team has had phenomenal performances from first-year athletes this season. In his first race with the Pioneers, Tanner Warren ran the 500m in 1:07.92, earning himself the sixth all-time spot in program history in the event. Connor Dean (Taberg, Ny/Camden) is having a tremendous first season as well. At 400m, his time of 51.23 has him ranked second in the conference, just slightly ahead of another first-year Pioneer Evan Smith (Baldwinsville, NY/Baker) (51.39). Dean is also fourth in long jump (6.27m) and seventh in high jump (1.72m) in conference standings.     
 
Up Next: The Pioneers will return home for the Blue & Orange Invitational and Multi beginning on Friday, January 26 and continuing through January 27 at the Todd and Jen Hutton Sports and Recreation Center.