Springfield, MA - After two days of intense competition, personal bests, and school records, Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences brought home the inaugural Men's Track and Field National Championship back home to New York. With a final team score of 191.5 points, ACPHS bested schools from all over the east coast to claim the championship.

The action started on Friday with the Pole Vault and Hammer throw. School-record holder, Timothy Hudson Jr. won the event with a throw on 41.47m. He was followed closely by his teammates, Richard Serafin, Cooper Spaulding, and Logan Zara. Max Eban finished 6^th in the event picking up crucial points on Day 1. In the vault, Cooper Spaulding doubled up, finishing 6^th in the event, while fellow freshman Jayden Mauceri finished 8^th.

Well-positioned after Day 1, the Panthers took control of the meet on Day 2. Freshman Harrison Matthews and Kevin Andrews took home 5^th and 7^th respectively in the 3000m steeplechase, with Matthews doubling up on points with a 4^th place finish in the 400m hurdles. The throws group continued to be a force to be reckoned with, picking up over 20 team points in Discus, with a strong performance from Howie Kelley, and over 15 team points in both the Javelin and shotput. 

In the horizontal jumps, the Panthers continued to flex their strength through depth. Ethan Nigro finished 3^rd in the men's long jump, and came back to finish 2^nd in the men's triple-jump, passing 3^rd by centimeters to take home silver. Timothy Hudson Jr, freshman Daunte Wright and Hari Conji all finished in the scoring places.

It was on the track where the Panthers were able to push their lead on the competition, and secure the team win. Ethan Nigro in the midst on an incredible day, scoring 35 points over five individual events, won the men's 110m hurdles, finished 3^rd in the 400 hurdles, and was instrumental in the 2^nd place finish for the Men's 4x 100m relay. Ryan Haak, in his final campaign, took home points in the men's 400m dash, before winning the men's 100m and 200m. Freshman Jake Backus scored in the 400m dash, coming back to help secure a 2^nd place finish in the men's 4 x 400m with fellow 4 x 400m competitor, Mike Dean picking up points in the 800m.

Haak, Nigro, and Hudson Jr. were all named first -team All Americans, for scoring 25, 37, and 38 points respectively. The Men's team in total scored 191.5 points besting SUNY ESF in second with 146, and Johnson & Wales Charolotte with 75.

How to follow the Panthers: For the latest information on ACPHS athletics, visit acphspanthers.com or check out the ACPHS athletics social media platforms on Instagram @ACPHSPanthers or Twitter @ACPHSAthletics.