Senior Jacob Engelken became Cornell’s first-ever male athlete to sweep both hurdles events in the same conference meet as the Rams capped a terrific weekend with a runner-up team finish at the Midwest Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Engelken shattered his lifetime-bests in winning the 110 hurdles and 400 hurdles, achieving the rare gold-medal double in a span of about 70 minutes Saturday afternoon inside Strong Stadium Complex.
The Rams delivered seven all-conference efforts on Day 2, including an 800 victory from freshman Isaak Hutchings – the MWC Men’s Most Outstanding Newcomer – that propelled coach Michael Friess’ squad to second place in the final team standings with 140 points.
Cornell equaled its highest outdoor conference team finish since winning it all in 1988. Ripon won the team crown with 158 points. The Rams beat perennial power Monmouth by 14 points.
Engelken captured the 110 hurdles title with a swift time of 15.79, defeating Ripon’s runner-up Nate Wosmek by .08 seconds. Engelken’s mark ranks No. 5 on Cornell’s all-time list.
Engelken had plenty left in the tank for a convincing championship victory in the 400 hurdles, crossing with a time of 56.45 that is fourth-fastest in school history. Engelken topped his previous-best mark by nearly two full seconds. Monmouth runner-up Reed Bona finished a distant 1.32 seconds behind.
Engelken, the 2022 indoor champion in the 60 hurdles, finished his career with three MWC titles and seven all-conference medals.
Hutchings concluded a sensational freshman campaign with a tightly-contested win in the 800, his fourth MWC individual title in 2022. He clocked a season-best time of 1:55.91 – the sixth-fastest in program history. Grinnell’s Zach Willis was second in 1:56.25.
Hutchings won the 1500 on Friday.
The Rams scored 14 points in the 5000, led by a runner-up effort from sophomore Emery Bird in 15:42.31. Senior Aaron Davidson took third (15:44.78) for his 10th career all-MWC track medal, six of them gold.
Freshman sprinter Felix Owusu Ansah enjoyed his best weekend as a Ram, stamped with a runner-up performance in the 100. He posted an impressive time of 10.88, the third-fastest on Cornell’s all-time list.
Owusu Ansah also placed fourth in the 200 (22.77) and ran the opening leg on the fifth-place 4×100 relay (43.29) that included Sam O’Hara, Engelken and Nathan Watters.
Brad Pace collected his second all-MWC award of the meet by taking third in the shot put (44-5.50). Brock Flack was fourth (43-7.25) and Watters eighth (40-4.25).
Gabe Soda finished fourth in the 800 (1:57.06). Hutchings anchored the seventh-place 4×400 relay of Engelken, Soda and Watters in 3:32.66.
Earlier in the tournament, Cornell’s men showed their strength in Friday’s distance events, running 1-2 in both the 10000 and 1500 during Day 1 at the Midwest Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Strong Stadium Complex.
The Rams turned in six all-conference efforts and stand third in a tight team race with 57 points through seven scored events. Monmouth leads the pack with 60 points, followed by Ripon with 58. The meet resumes at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
Reigning MWC Track Performer of the Year Aaron Davidson successfully defended his title in the 10000, winning the race in 34:29.58. It was the senior’s sixth MWC championship on the track since outdoors last season.
Sophomore Emery Bird was Davidson’s closest challenger, taking runner-up (34:35.34) for the second consecutive year. Bird was 10 seconds ahead of the third-place finisher in claiming his third career all-conference award.
Impressive freshmen Isaak Hutchings and Gabe Soda were neck-and-neck at the finish of the 1500, with Hutchings winning gold in 4:02.29 for his third MWC title in 2022. Soda placed second, only a fraction behind in 4:02.44.
Flack scored a runner-up finish in the discus for the second straight year, posting a mark of 138-11. Watters placed fifth (129-1).
Pace earned his first all-conference medal with a third-place showing in the hammer throw (154-3). Owusu Ansah was sixth in the long jump (20-7.75).
Engelken positioned himself well for Saturday’s finals races in the hurdles. The senior clocked the quickest prelims time in the 400 hurdles with a personal-best mark of 58.30, ranking No. 6 on Cornell’s all-time list. Engelken also ran a PR in the 110 hurdles, qualifying second in 16.30.
Owusu Ansah became the fourth Ram in modern-day history to break the 11-second barrier in the 100, qualifying fourth for Saturday’s finals in 10.95. He also advanced to the finals in the 200 with the sixth-fastest time in 22.64.