Yellow Jackets Open 2017-18 Season with Home Dual

DEFIANCE, OHIO – The Defiance College men's track team opened the season by hosting Bluffton University for the Defiance College Ice Breaker Invitational on Saturday at the George M. Smart Center.

The Yellow Jackets fell, 78-51, in the team score but saw many bright spots.

The Defiance throwers began the season with superb efforts, as senior Joshua Petro (Ocala, Fla./The Villages) begins his HCAC title defense in the weight throw with a victory, tossing the weight 15.06 meters. Junior Andrew Fahler (Wellington) followed Petro with a personal-best throw of 14.18 meters, entering him into the ninth position on the list of all-time Yellow Jackets in the event.

Meanwhile, in the shot put, junior Javier Castillo (Nogales, Ariz.) came home with a win in the shot put after a toss of 13.76 meters. Petro also placed third with a 13.20 meter throw.

Freshman Vince Jackson also snuck onto the tenth spot of the performance list with his victory in the high jump, leaping 1.90 meters.

Fellow freshman Josh Lodge (West Bloomfield, Mich.) began his collegiate career in style, with a leap of 5.87 meters to barely edge out a victory, while also bringing home third place points in the 200-meter dash (24.05).

Other athletes to bring home first place points include freshman Gabe Caris (Lambertville, Mich./Bedford) with a time of 38.75 in the 300-meter dash, Brandon Zartman (Paulding/Wayne Trace) with a time of 1:16.60 in the 500-meter dash, and junior Daren Gies (Plymouth) with a time of 2:50.11 in the 1000-meter run.

The Yellow Jackets will take a break for winter break for training, before beginning the 2018 portion of the indoor schedule on Friday, January 12 as they travel to the University of Findlay for the Northwest Ohio Invitational. The meet is set to begin at 5 p.m.