ALLIANCE, Ohio - April 13, 2025 - Hiram track & field has reached a critical point in the season, with just three weekends separating both the men's and women's team from the NCAC Outdoor Championships on Friday, May 2.

The teams had a good challenge this weekend in Alliance as part of the John Homon Open, a big step toward making more history later in the season.

Men's Recap

Kevin Dycks nearly qualified for the 100-meter dash final, racing his way to 10th place overall among the 38 athletes in the event with a personal-best time of 11.29. The sophomore later joined the 4x100-meter relay team of Kamran Walton, Kyle Filkill and Gavin Dunn, a group that placed fourth (43.24).

Walton continued his Sunday of competition in the 400-meter dash, crushing his previous career best (52.63 during indoor season) with a time of 50.18. The freshman placed eighth out of 32 student-athletes, and ranked first in the third heat of the competition.

DeAco Curry placed fifth in the 800-meter run (1:57.19) before taking part in the 4x400-meter relay alongside Nathan Feltner, Kamran Walton and Kyle Filkill. That relay team placed third, trailing only John Carroll (3:15.22) and Mount Union (3:20.92).

In the field events on Sunday, Dunn spearheaded the team with a first-place finish in the long jump. Not only did Dunn jump over two feet longer than any other student-athlete, but his mark of 7.08m (23' 2¾") nearly matched the program record set by Eric Thompson in 1971 (23 '3").

Women's Recap

On Saturday, Chloe Cooper set the new program record in the hammer throw with a career-best mark of 33.17m (108' 10"). The sophomore from Hanoverton, OH beat six other student-athletes in the field to begin the weekend on a high note.

In the running events on Sunday, McKenzie Riley ran the 1,500-meter run (5:19.54) and Alisah Ward ran the 400-meter dash (1:01.50). Riley's time was a new career-best, while Ward nearly beat her previous best of 1:01.26. Ward later set a new personal record in the 200-meter dash (27.53) to cap off her strong weekend.

In the 800-meter dash, Gabrielle Minick (2:44.76) and Victoria Freeman (2:47.56) led the Terriers with a pair of top-20 finishes. Elaine Guyette later set a new career best in the 5,000-meter run, racing her way to 11th place with a time of 19:40.85.

Sam Volpe wrapped up the top finishes with a new program record of 39.78m (130' 6") in the discus, beating her previous record of 126'7" from last season. Juliana Gunn also led the team in the long jump (4.89m, 16' 0½") as part of her first collegiate season.

What's Next

Both teams will return to competition on Friday, when they begin two-day Sparky Adams Invite on the campus of Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio.