Men's Track picked eighth in HCAC preseason poll

CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) announced the results of the Men's Outdoor Track and Field preseason poll, with Defiance finishing eighth.

Manchester was picked to claim the 2022 Outdoor Track and Field title after claiming the Indoor Title, with a commanding 97 points and seven first-place votes. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology snagged three first-place nods and finished in second with 93 points. Transylvania University finished in third with 76 points while Bluffton University (65) and Franklin College (63) finished in a close fourth and fifth respectively to round out the top half of the poll. Defiance placed eighth with 31 points.

Six Yellow Jackets were named to the HCAC Athlete's to Watch list. Topping the list is sophomore Tawon Cannon who won the 400-meter hurdles at the HCAC Outdoor Championships last season. Also on the list are a trio of sprinters in junior Ja'Qway Janvier, sophomore Alijah Fleming, and freshman Deuntray Drennon. Janvier placed third in the 100-meters at the 2021 HCAC Outdoor Championships and was part of a 4x100 relay team that placed second in the conference. That relay team also included Cannon and Fleming. 

Sophomores John Reese and Ron Scott were also named to the watchlist. Reese is a distance runner who also competes in the high jump and placed third in the event at the 2021 conference championship meet. Scott is a thrower for the Yellow Jackets. 

The track team will open the 2022 outdoor season on March 26 at the IWU Polar Bear Invite in Marion, Ind.