By Joseph Caruso
Staff Writer
The College’s men’s track and field team qualified for and raced in the NCAA Championships on March 14 and 15, finishing in 39th with five points.
On Friday, fifth-year Ray Schmitt qualified for finals on Saturday with a 6.77-second 60-meter dash, breaking his previous program record, while freshman Maxim Rychkov ran the 200-meter in 21.66 seconds to qualify as well.
For Schmitt, his final year at the College has padded his already impressive resume, now being a two-time NCAA All-American after his performance in the Championships on Saturday, as well as already being named first or second team All-New Jersey Athletic Conference on eight different occasions since 2022.
Rychkov was a part of the 4x400-meter relay team that also included freshman Noah Traverso, freshman Anthony Senatore and sophomore Jack Attali. They completed the race in 3:15.75, finishing fourth, and were qualified to run for the National Championships.
On Saturday, Rychkov became the only rookie in the country to earn three All-American awards for the weekend when he finished in seventh place in the 200-meter, running it in 22.08 seconds. Rychkov’s stellar year saw him named All-Metro Region for four separate events, as well as being named the NJAC Outstanding Track Athlete.
The relay of Traverso, Attali, Senatore and Rychkov came in at eighth place with a time of 3:19.49, making them the first Lions relay to earn indoor All-American honors in 16 years.
Now, with the 2025 indoor season behind them, the College has a bright future ahead with a myriad of underclassmen, including the aforementioned Traverso, Attali, Senatore and Rychkov, who have combined for 12 All-NJAC honors in their young collegiate careers.
Looking forward to the outdoor season, the Lions will travel for the Texas Relays in Austin, and the Trinity Invitational in San Antonio from March 27 to March 29 for their next action.
