ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy track and field teams made their mark this weekend, setting three school records during split-squad action at the Navy Spring Invitational at Ingram Field and the Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville, Virginia.
 
At the Navy Spring Invitational, Brian Schloeder reached new heights in the pole vault, clearing 5.40 meters (17 feet, 8 1/2 inches) to set a new Navy standard. Meanwhile, at the Virginia Challenge, Dane Eike shattered a 38-year-old program record in the 5,000-meter invitational, clocking 13:44.30 to surpass Ronnie Harris' 1988 mark of 13:45.75. Sophie Compton joined the record-breaking performances in Charlottesville, eclipsing a 14-year-old record in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:20.16.
 
"Coming off an emotional week like we did against Army, you're not quite sure what to expect," said director of track and field Jamie Cook. "But overall, we're really happy. There were a lot of key performances in different events — specifically, breaking three school records is pretty impressive. We're starting to see people step up, and that's always encouraging. Across the board, we came back hungry to compete."
 
Navy Spring Invitational Recap
Field Events
Schloeder's record-breaking vault highlighted the home meet, besting the previous mark of 5.32 meters (17-5 1/2) set by Walker Rudisaile in 2024.
 
In the women's pole vault, Aurora Cieslukowski finished second with a height of 3.85 meters (12-7 1/2).
 
Nigel Vidale secured his second high jump victory of the season, clearing 1.99 meters (6-6 1/4). In the long jump, Colby Fahrney placed second for the men (6.77 meters/22-2 1/2), while Isabella Sizer notched a season-best 5.31 meters (17-5 1/4) to take third for the women.
 
In the throws, Julia Norris won the discus with a mark of 47.06 meters (154-5) before taking second in the shot put with a career-best 14.25 meters (46-9). On the men's side, Hunter-Robbins Mann (47.68 meters/156-5) and Adam Szatanek (45.30 meters/148-7) finished second and third, respectively, in the discus. Olivia Baird won the women's javelin for the second time this spring (42.24 meters/138-7), and Malachi Cummings led the men with a second-place throw of 61.71 meters (202-5).
 
Multi-events
Navy competed in the multi-events for the first time this season, led by Nick Simmons, who won the decathlon with 7,413 points — the second-highest total in school history. Simmons won eight of the 10 events: 100 meters (10.72), long jump (7.39 meters), shot put (13.97 meters), 400 meters (49.08), discus (40.48 meters), pole vault (4.15 meters), javelin (51.58 meters) and 1,500 meters (4:37.74). Jamison Scott (7,028) and Charles Skaggs (6,649) finished second and third, respectively, to complete the Navy sweep.
 
In the heptathlon, Sara McConnell moved into seventh all-time in program history with 4,894 points to finish third. McConnell won the 800 meters (2:21.75) and placed second in the high jump (1.66 meters). Bennett Pidro followed in fourth with 4,776 points, highlighted by a win in the 200 meters (25.11).
 
"The multis group was impressive today, especially since they don't get a lot of opportunities, and they took advantage of the nice weather," Cook said.
 
Track Events
The sprints saw Conor McFadden record a career day, winning the 200 meters in a personal-best 21.05 and taking second in the 400 meters with another career-best of 47.29. Sophia Richter added a win in the 400 meters (56.20) and a third-place finish in the 200 meters (24.70).
 
In the 100 meters, Tyler Yurich (10.59) edged teammate Marcel Jackson (10.60) for second and third, while Caroline Rey took second for the women with a career-best 11.87. Rey also claimed third in the 100-meter hurdles in a career-best 13.87.
 
Jason Keiser continued his dominance in the hurdles, winning the 110-meter hurdles for the fourth time this season (14.21) and placing second in the 400-meter hurdles (53.46). Jessica Black won the women's 400-meter hurdles in a season-best 1:03.54.
 
In middle-distance and distance events, Noah Guerrero won his first collegiate 800-meter race (1:53.92), and the Mids swept the men's 5,000 meters behind James McCarron (15:09.92), Jacob Crouch (15:19.81) and Ben Tucker (15:26.30). Caroline Montemaro completed the 5,000-meter sweep for the women, winning in 18:26.23.
 
The 4x100-meter relay team of Jackson, Nathan Kent, McFadden and Yurich won for the fourth time this spring (40.18). Navy closed the meet with a sweep of the 4x400-meter relays; the women's team of Samaria Williams, Savannah Swanda, Richter and Black clocked 3:54.98, while the men's squad of Cooper Wakley, Logan Howe, Fabian France and Michael Wilkerson finished in 3:22.24.
 
Virginia Challenge Recap
In addition to the records by Eike and Compton, the distance group posted several standout performances in Charlottesville. James Partlow (14:21.17) and Owen Ahten (14:30.33) finished third and seventh, respectively, in the 5,000-meter open.
 
In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Jonathan Skemp placed 10th (9:10.93), while Luke Doetschman took fifth in the open (9:17.85). The women's steeplechase saw Eleanor Whisler finish second (11:03.33) and Susanna Henderson take third (11:16.04).
 
Aidan Eberhardt (1:51.52) and Julia Blake (2:10.64) both secured eighth-place finishes in the 800 meters. In the 10,000 meters, Paige Sheiffele finished fourth (37:05.51), followed by Madeline Palmisciano in seventh (37:35.14).
 
Navy will return to action next week for one of the most prestigious events, the Penn Relays. Competition at Franklin Field in Philadelphia is scheduled to run next Thursday through Saturday (April 23-25).