Yellow Jackets Davis and Postema Sweep HCAC MVP Awards

GREENWOOD, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference released its outdoor track and field All-HCAC lists Thursday, May 2 and the Yellow Jackets came through with a fantastic performance. Senior Tom Postema and junior Joe Davis were named HCAC Most-Outstanding Male Track and Field Athletes to top off DC's strong list of All-HCAC honorees. [Release]

As a squad, the Purple and Gold men's track and field team totaled four All-HCAC selections along with one second-team member. The four first-teamers were the most the men's program has had in school history for the championships.

Davis earned the HCAC Most Outstanding Male Track Athlete for the first time in program history with his solid performances over three events. The Ontario, Ohio, native earned the title in both the 1,500-meter run and 3,000-meter steeplechase, while finishing third in the 5,000. He totaled 26 points to lead all runners at the championships. With his outing, he clinched his spot on the first-team and completed the sweep of the honor in each sports season (cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field). Davis is the only athlete in the HCAC to accomplish that feat in the 2012-13 campaign.

DC's Postema then took care of business on the field side of the competition and earned the HCAC Most Outstanding Male Field Athlete award. The Defiance, Ohio, native wraps up his conference-championships career a perfect 4-for-4, as he has notched the award in each of the indoor and outdoor seasons over the past two years, along with being First-Team All-HCAC in every term. Postema compiled a fantastic weekend with three individual titles in the hammer throw, discus and shot put. He also left his mark on the conference record books, as the senior thrower hurled a 65.80 meter hammer-throw toss to shatter the old record by more than six meters and notched a distance of 56.27 m in the discus for a new league-best mark.

For the other All-HCAC selections, we head back to the track where senior Hayden Krick and sophomore Troy Parrett received the honors. Krick, a four-year veteran to Defiance competed in both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter runs and netted first and third-place finishes, respectively. This was his first All-HCAC selection for track and field. Parrett did his work in the middle-distance events where he snatched the title in the 800-meter run and finished third in the 1,500. He also was a member of the fifth place 4x400-meter relay squad at the championships. The stellar sophomore runner has now earned All-HCAC outdoor track and field honors in each of his first two years with the Jackets.

To round up the conference awards, junior Madison Murphy gained Second-Team All-HCAC by finishing in the number two spot for the 800 right behind Parrett. He also joined the sophomore in the 4x400-meter relay group that earned fifth. This was Murphy's first appearance on the all-conference outdoor lists. Coming in with DC's All-Sportsmanship Team selection was freshman George Roth who competed in the 100 and 200-meter dashes, along with the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relay teams.

With the Purple and Gold men's team's performance this past weekend, the squad moved up to No. 16 in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Div. III poll and No. 9 in the Great Lakes Region. Both are all time bests for DC.

The Yellow Jackets track and field team will continue on with their season at the Hillsdale Classic on Wednesday, May 8. Action at the meet is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.