General | 12/4/2025 9:54:00 AM

Granville, Ohio - The men's track and field team looks to build on its success from last season, as they finished third in the NCAC Indoor Championships and second in the Outdoor Championships.

2024-2025 Season Recap:

Indoor Season:

Denison found success in their indoor season campaign, as they placed top-three as a team at the Wooster Fighting Scots Invitational, Denison Bob Shannon Invitational, and the All-Ohio Championships. At the NCAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, the Big Red finished third behind champion Wittenberg and Wabash. Denison had eight top-three finishes and finished with 99 points. The meet was highlighted by wins from Jaylin Epps in the 60 meters (first, 6.90), Ari Skolnik in the 60-meter hurdles (first, 8.06), Seamus McCann in the pole vault (first, 14'09.00), and Chris Slater in shot put (first, 16.05m). Slater would be named the NCAC Field Athlete of the Year after his strong performances, and Skolnik's 60-meter hurdle time of 8.06 would be a new NCAC record. Denison records were broken as well, as Slater broke the record in the weight throw at the Wittenberg Invitational, and Skolnik broke the record in the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAC Championships. 

Skolnik and Slater would finish their indoor season with All-American honors, as both were second-team All-Americans, with Slater grabbing honors in the weight throw (13th, 18.26m), and Skolnik in the 60-meter hurdles (15th, 8.16).

Outdoor Season: 

The team took their momentum from the indoor season into outdoor, and saw their momentum grow gradually. The team finished fourth at the All-Ohio Championships and first at the Duane Gomez Invitational. In the NCAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the Big Red placed second behind Wabash, their best finish since the 2022-23 season. The Big Red had 12 top-three finishes and finished with 137.5 points. The meet was highlighted by first place performances from Slater in the hammer throw (57.04m) and Skolnik in the 110 meter hurdles (14.40). The Big Red also got big second place finishes from Andrew D'Asaro in javelin (58.51m), Jack Blais in the long jump (7.04m), Jaylin Epps in the 100 meters (10.67), and Malik Holley in the 400 meters (48.85). The 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams also showed elite performances, capturing second and third place. 

Five members of the team received USTFCCCA All-Region Honors, those include Jack Blais (long jump), D'Asaro (javelin), McCann (pole vault), Skolnik (110-meter hurdles), Slater (hammer throw, shot put). The Big Red sent three athletes to the NCAA championships last year, and all three came home with All-American honors. Andrew D'Asaro (javelin) and Chris Slater (hammer) came away with First-Team All-American honors, while Ari Skolnik (110H) received Second-Team All-American honors by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The team finished 42nd at the championships, tied with eight other teams.

Returning All-NCAC
 

• Jake McCann - Outdoor:  4x400 Relay (3rd)
• Seamus McCann - Indoor: Pole Vault (1st) | Outdoor: Pole Vault (3rd)
• Reed Nobili - Outdoor:  Discus (3rd)
• Pierce Patterson - Indoor:  400 (3rd), 4x200 Relay (3rd) | Outdoor: 400 (3rd), 4x200 Relay (3rd)
• Liam Quinlan - Indoor: 4x200 Relay (3rd)

Academic recognition: Five members of the men's track and field team earned CSC Academic All-District honors (D'Asaro, Oliver DiCerbo, Pierce Patterson, Justin Tharayil, Leo Wisnefski). D'Asaro also was named USTFCCCA All-Academic Honors.

Staying consistent: Since the 2020 season, the Big Red have placed top three in the NCAC Championships six times (two indoor, four outdoor). The last time Denison finished first was at the 2022-23 season, where they took home the championship in the outdoor meet.

New faces: The Big Red bring in 21 first-years' for the 2026 campaign, and have eight seniors, five of them being distance runners. The team will heavily rely on their underclassmen to propel the squad this season.

A Look at the Schedule

The Big Red kick off their indoor season at the 2025 Oiler Opener and Multi at Findlay University on December 4-5, where Justin Tharayil will be competing in the men's heptathlon. The rest of the Big Red will be at the Tiger Opener at Wittenberg University on Saturday, December 6 before taking a sizable month break to come back and compete at the Muskie Meet on January 17, 2026 at Muskingum University. Denison will host the Bob Shannon Invitational on Saturday, February 7, and then compete in three more meets before heading back to Wittenberg for a third time for the NCAC Indoor Track and Field Championships on February 27-28. The team will get a chance to compete once more in the indoor season at Ohio Northern for a Last Chance Meet to improve their chances of going to the NCAA Championships in Birmingham, Alabama on March 13-14.

In the outdoor season, Denison will host their annual Lid-Lifter meet on Saturday, March 28 to break into the spring weather. They then will be on the road, traveling to two NCAC foes in Ohio Wesleyan University and Kenyon College before hosting the Big Red Invitational and NCAC Combined Events on April 24-26. The NCAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held in Gambier, Ohio hosted by Kenyon College on May 1-2. There will be two Last Chance Meets at the end of the season before the NCAA Championships will commence in LaCrosse, Wisconsin from May 21-23.

 

Date	Location	Meet	Host
12/4-5/25	Findlay, Ohio	2025 Oiler Opener and Multi	Findlay
12/6/25	Springfield, Ohio	Tiger Opener	Wittenberg
1/17/26	New Concord, Ohio	Muskie Meet #1	Muskingum
1/24/26	Wooster, Ohio	Fighting Scots Invitational	Wooster
1/31/26	Springfield, Ohio	Steemer Showcase	Wittenberg
2/7/26	Granville, Ohio	Bob Shannon Invitational	Denison
2/14/26	Tiffin, Ohio	Robinson Family Open	Tiffin
2/21/26	Springfield, Ohio	Wittenberg Invite	Wittenberg
2/21-22/26	Wooster, Ohio	NCAC Combined Events	Wooster
2/27-28/26	Springfield, Ohio	NCAC Indoor Championships	Wittenberg
3/6-7/26	Ada, Ohio	Last Chance Meet	Ohio Northern
3/13-14/26	Birmingham, Ala.	NCAA Indoor Championships	Southern Athletic Association
3/28/26	Granville, Ohio	Lid-Lifter	Denison
4/4/26	Delaware, Ohio	Marv Frye Invitational	Ohio Wesleyan
4/10-11/26	Cleveland, Tenn.	Fast Break Athletics Invitational	Lee University
4/18/26	Gambier, Ohio	Duane Gomez Invitational	Kenyon
4/24/26	Granville, Ohio	Big Red Invitational	Denison
4/25-26/26	Granville, Ohio	NCAC Combined Events	Denison
5/1-2/26	Gambier, Ohio	NCAC Outdoor Championships	Kenyon
5/7-8/26	Berea, Ohio	Last Chance Meet	Baldwin Wallace
5/13-14/26	Alliance, Ohio	Last Chance Meet	Mount Union
5/21-23/26	LaCrosse, Wis.	NCAA Outdoor Championships	Wisconsin-La Crosse