Gerlach fuels efforts of Rio men at Carnegie Mellon

Rio Grande Sports Information
     PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Rowen Gerlach recorded two runner-up outings among his trio of top five finishes, while Troy Mason and Tyler Jenkins had runner-up performances of their own to lead the University of Rio Grande men's track and field team in the Carnegie Mellon Invitational, which wrapped up on Saturday at Gesling Stadium.
     Gerlach, a sophomore from New Haven, W.Va., finished second in both the hammer throw (176-04) and shot put (51-08.50) and was fourth in the discus throw (150-03).
     His effort in the hammer throw set a new school record, shattering the previous mark of 168-09 set by Zach Collins at the 2019 NAIA National Championships.
     Mason, a sophomore from Grenville, Grenada, was second in the 400-meter run with a time of 47.73 - a mark which met the "B" qualifying standard for the upcoming NAIA National Championship in May.
     Jenkins, a junior from Barnesville, Ohio, was the runner-up in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:32.34.
     The RedStorm had 11 other individual Top 10 finishes at the meet - which was not team scored - as well as one relay team that posted a notable finish.
     The remaining performances of note came from freshman Wes Taylor (Lancaster, OH), who was third in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:44.66; junior Trevon Houston (Cleveland, OH), who placed fourth in the 400-meter run with a time of 48.59; graduate senior Chase McClay (McDermott, OH), who was fourth in the 400-meter hurdles after crossing in 55.09; freshman Keegan McKinney (Baltimore, OH), who was fifth in the shot put after a toss of 49-10.50; senior Marshall Jackson (Zanesfield, OH), who was seventh in the hammer throw with a toss of 149-05 and ninth in the discus throw with an effort of 135-10; senior Triston Malmstrom (McArthur, OH), who finished seventh in the discus throw at 138-11; senior Danuel Persinger (Glouster, OH), who took seventh place in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 9:02.77; freshman Anton Meinlschmidt (Weibeyoke, Germany), who placed ninth in the 3,000-meter run with a mark of 9:05.59; sophomore Ashton Beverly (Chillicothe, OH), who finished 10th in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:03.40; and freshman John Young (Leroy, OH), who was 10th in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:56.07.
     Rio's 4x400 relay team - comprised of McClay, junior Spencer Harris (Gallipolis, OH), Beverly and sophomore JJ Larue (Chillicothe, OH) - finished third after crossing in 3:22.35.
     The RedStorm also sent a pair of race walkers to the Indiana University East Race Walking Event.
     Sophomore Zach Whitley (Wheelersburg, OH) finished in second place and hit the "A" qualifying standard by crossing in 23:36.30, while junior Mugisha Pomossene (Dayton, OH) hit the "B" qualifying mark by placing seventh in a time of 24:52.40.
     The duo's performance allowed Rio to tie host IU East for the team title. IU Kokomo and Marian (Ind.) University tied for third.
     Rio Grande will have its team at two different events this week.
     Some will compete at the University of Charleston Invitational at UC Stadium/Laidley Field in Charleston, W.Va. on Friday, while others will participate at the University of Cincinnati's Oliver Nickoloff Invitational on both Friday and Saturday.