This week found the Lady Raiders with a rare week off from competition. The men, on the other hand, were doing anything but relaxing as they sent competitors to invitational meets at Stanford and Navy.

Crossing the country to sunny California were senior distance runners Michael Hanlon and Scott DeRoo. Hanlon proved to be Saturday’s big story, as he broke Colgate’s school record in the 5,000m. He completed the race in sixteenth place overall with a time of 13:55.09. Not only did this break the record, but his time qualified for both the IC4A and NCAA Regional Championships. Additionally, it places Hanlon in consideration for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

“Stanford is pretty much the best place in the country to get great weather and good people to race against,” Hanlon said. “Those two factors add up to running fast.”

DeRoo, in turn, competed in the 1,500m. He finished seventy-eighth with a time of 4:00.49.

While the senior pair rocked it out on the West Coast, the remainder of the team traveled to Maryland for the Navy Invitational. Colgate finished fifth in the team standings with twenty-eight points.

Leading the Raider charge were senior Geoff Bean and junior Terrence Dilworth. The duo finished their 100m dash as part of a rare three-way tie. Also raking in bronze medals were the 4x100m relay team and senior thrower Sean Field. The relay cleared their single lap in 42.33. This was the second time the relay turned in a qualifying time for the IC4A Championships. Field competed in the hammer throw, marking a distance of 48.10m.

“The key to my performance was all the time I have been spending throwing over the winter doing indoors,” Field said. “It really helped my strength and coordination for the hammer throw.”

Points also came from senior John Gillespie in the 800m and junior Thomas Dilworth in the 400m. Gillespie clocked the two laps in 1:55.92, securing fourth place, and Dilworth’s time of 49.41 provided him with sixth in his first race of the season.

“We each held our own against some of the best teams in the northeast,” Fields said. “We really showed that although our program is small we still have some talent to show.”

From here, the men are set on qualifying and preparing for the Patriot League, IC4A, and NCAA Championships. The road to the elite meets continues this weekend as the men travel to Princeton. The women return to action at the Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, Virginia.