Athletics

Varsity Sports

Men's Indoor Track and Field

Overview

Hashem Zikry '13 leads the Hamilton College men's indoor track and field team into 2012-13. Zikry enjoyed the best cross country season of his Hamilton career in the fall. He made the New York State Collegiate Track Conference (NYSCTC) all-conference first team by finishing fifth in the championship meet. Jimmy Alexis '13 finished first in the pole vault and Sam Reider '14 finished first in the 400-meter dash at the 2011 NYSCTC Championships. Graham Sadler '14, who made the 2012 NYSCTC and Eastern College Athletic Conference all-conference teams and owns the school record for the high jump, is studying abroad this season. The program will also miss James Grebey '12, who was the top distance runner before he graduated.

Hamilton hosts meets on campus at Margaret Bundy Scott Field House. The facility received major renovations in the summer of 2010, including a state-of-the-art Mondo FX surface that rivals any program in Division III. The Continentals host invitationals on January 26 and February 9 this year. Student-athletes may qualify for the NYSCTC championships, the ECAC Division III championships and the NCAA Division III championships. The 2013 national meet is at North Central College in suburban Chicago. Hamilton also travels to invitationals at St. Lawrence University, SUNY Brockport and Rochester Institute of Technology.

Peter Kosgei '11 clinched his third national title and third All-America honor in indoor track & field at the 2009 NCAA Division III Championships. Kosgei finished first in the mile run with a school-record time of 4 minutes, 8.58 seconds, at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana. He was part of another school record in the distance medley relay at the 2009 NYSCTC Championships. He was the relay anchor as he led Hamilton to victory with a time of 10:10.85.

Kosgei permanently changed the face of this program in 2008. He was part of six school records in a season that ended with two national titles and two All-America awards for the talented Kenyan. He finished first in the 800-meter run and the mile at the NCAA championships. He recorded the best time in Division III all season in the 800 and broke the facility record by three seconds in the mile. He did all this despite the fact the two races were held just 90 minutes apart. Kosgei, who was selected the NCAA Division III indoor track athlete of the year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) after the championships, is the first All-American in program history.

At the 2008 NYSCTC Championships, Kosgei set meet and facility records in winning the 1,000-meter run and the mile at St. Lawrence. Earlier in the season, he captured first place in the 800 and the mile with meet and facility record times at the Liberty League championships, which were also held at St. Lawrence. He was later named the league's track performer of the year. Along the way, he set team records in the 800, the 1,000, the mile, the 3,000 and the 5,000 meters. He was also part of a distance medley relay record at the state championships.

TiDelco Ductan '09 -- the school's indoor record-holder in the triple jump -- joined Kosgei at the 2009 national meet as Ductan competed in the event. Waltnel Sosa '00 competed in the long jump at the 1999 NCAA Championships. James Russell '09 owns the school indoor and outdoor pole vault records. Joshua Orndorff '11 captured first place in the shot put at the 2010 league championships, and was second in the shot at the NYSCTC meet. He finished third in the shot put and earned all-conference honors at the 2009 NYSCTC Championships.

This program is about more than just athletic performance. Academic excellence is also important to head coach Brett Hull. Seven student-athletes made the 2011-12 NESCAC Winter All-Academic Team, and the Continentals earned 2012 USTFCCCA Division III All-Academic Track and Field Team honors. Each NESCAC all-academic team honoree has a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.35 and must have reached sophomore academic standing at his institution.