(Men's Results) Goshen, IN — Behind five first-place finishes and five Eigsti Track & Field Complex records, the Goshen College men’s track & field team secured a second-place finish at Saturday’s Goshen Invite, tallying 156 team points. That mark was second only to Mid-Central Conference rival Bethel College’s 263-point total, giving the Leafs one of their best home meet performances in recent years.

“Between our men’s and women’s teams, we had probably the most balance of any meet we’ve had in recent years today,” said Rick Clark, Goshen head coach. “We got some good performances all over the place, which is a big key in team scoring.”

That balance was led by senior Don Williams, providing the team its lone double-winner on the day. Williams placed first in both the high jump and high hurdles competition, clearing a height of 6 feet, 2 inches in the high jump while clocking a time of just :15.95 in the hurdles event.

“Don had a good double-win for us,” Clark said. “As a senior, he has high expectations for himself every time he competes. He continues to improve his standards.”

Closely behind Williams was junior Jason Young, finishing first and second in the 200- and 400-meter dashes, respectively. While just missing a second double-win performance, Young did set a pair of Eigsti complex records, finishing first in the 200 in a time of :22.56 and second in the 400 in a time of :50.26. Young’s 200 time was the fastest in the history of the Leafs’ track complex, while his 400 time was the fastest by a Goshen College athlete on the premises.

“Jason had two really good runs and was barely nipped in the 400,” Clark said. “Jason’s running really sharp right now, and he’s in a position to close some of the gap by the time our conference (championships) rolls around.”

Young was also a key to Goshen’s 4 X 400 relay team that finished just a fraction behind Bethel for second place, settling for a time of 3:32.24. Joining Young in that race was Williams, senior Dan Adcock and freshman Andrew Murto. Senior Daniel Constantine also set a facility record in the 100-meter dash, finishing fifth in a time of :11.46, the best clip ran by a Goshen athlete in the history of the Eigsti complex.

The Leafs’ distance unit also provided solid results, led by sophomore Jake Gillette’s first-place finish in the 5,000-meter run (16:13.67). Gillette also led the 4 X 800 relay team to a second-place finish, teaming with Murto, sophomore Hugo DeLuna and freshman David Rumsey for a 9:00.22 end result.

“Jake Gillette is really starting to come along,” Clark said. “He’s currently training for the marathon, which in turn has really helped his 5,000 time. He’s made the comment that the 5,000-meter race is ‘shrinking’ due to his longer training runs. This has allowed him to run it really hard, and he’s reaping the rewards.”

In addition to Gillette’s strong performances, Murto clocked a third-place finish in the 800-meter run (2:06.83) while Rumsey finished third in the 1,500-meter race (4:25.77).

The field was also favorable to the Leafs, as Adcock posted third in both the long jump (20 feet, 1 inch) and the triple-jump (41 feet, 8 inches). Senior Tolu Kayode notched first in the hammer throw (151 feet, 11 inches), while his effort in the shot put (42 feet, 9 inches) was a third-place result. Perhaps most impressive in the throwing events for Goshen was sophomore Justin Hochstetler, who placed third in the hammer throw (136 feet, 3 inches), fourth in the javelin (130 feet, 6 inches), fifth in the shot put (41 feet, 1 and 1 half inches) and sixth in the discus (126 feet, 5 inches). All four results were personal bests for Hochstetler.

“Justin is really starting to explode,” Clark said. “To have four personal bests in one day shows the types of improvement he’s making on a daily basis. To watch him perform today was really exciting.”

Older brother Matt Hochstetler finished third in the discus competition, registering the longest distance by a Goshen athlete at the facility with a toss of 133 feet, 8 inches.

In other events, freshman Sam Boldman charted fourth in the high hurdles (:17.67) while classmate Nelson Kling finished second in the 200-meter dash in a clip of :23.69. Freshman Jon Casselberry-Scott took home second place in the pole vault competition clearing a height of 12 feet, 6 inches. Senior Lucas Vachon was the first Goshen athlete to compete in the 3,000-meter race walk competition, setting a school record by necessity of 21:14.0. Sophomore Luis Robledo placed third in the pole vault, clearing a height of 12 feet.

Bethel College was the only school of the five participating to garner more points than Goshen, winning the team competition with 263 points. The Leafs were second with 156 points, followed by Olivet College with 87 points, the University of St. Francis with 41 points and Grace College with 28 points. For a complete listing of team and individual performances at the invite, click here.

Goshen will next face off against all non-NCAA Division I schools at the annual Little State Championships. Competitions will begin Friday afternoon on the campus of Purdue University Indiana University of Indianapolis.