TOWSON, Md. --- The 2016-17 Moravian College men's indoor track and field team has been selected first overall in the Landmark Conference preseason poll as chosen by the Landmark coaches.
The squad returns 31 competitors from last year's Landmark Conference Championship squad as well as adding 14 new student-athletes. The Hounds received a total of 50 points, which was 16 more than the next closest team and five first-place votes. Moravian has won seven straight Landmark Conference Indoor Championships and eight of the first nine Landmark Conference titles.
Sixth-year Head Coach Jesse Baumann has a group of returners led by senior thrower Greg Cahill, who was the 2016 Landmark Conference Indoor Field Athlete of the Year after winning the weight throw and finishing as the runner-up in the shot put. The Greyhounds have three other Landmark Conference Champions back including senior distance runner Cory Taggert in the 800-meter run, senior jumper Kahron Walker in the high jump and sophomore hurdler/sprinter John Spirk in the 60-meter hurdles. Walker was also the runner-up in the long jump while Taggert had second place finishes in the mile run and 4x400-meter relay. Senior sprinter Austin Gardener is back for his last season after making the Landmark All-Conference Second Team with runner-up finishes in the 200-meter dash and 4x200-meter relay along with sophomore sprinter Chris Antoine.
"We lost a lot of talent and depth with our graduating seniors, including some NCAA qualifiers with Ryan Karnopp and Gavin Bailey," stated Baumann. "In addition, we graduated one of the better leaders we've had on this team in recent years, Parker Munson. Obviously that adds uncertainty to the year not knowing how new athletes will be able to step into their shoes.
"With that said, we have good depth across the board, and I feel that was on display at Lehigh last Friday," Baumann continued. "Freshman Billy Dilolle and Austin opened up with some great 60 and 200m times. John had a great opener in the hurdles, Cory and junior Mike Kopach had some excellent opening times in the middle distances, and some other key contributors like Kahron, Greg and sophomore pole vaulter Scott Goodwin haven't shown what they're truly capable of just yet. We have potential for a lot of depth and for athletes to move on to big late-season meets, but we have to continue to prove it with some newer names and faces shouldering the responsibility to carry our team."
The Greyhounds will compete in their second meet of the season at Lehigh University for the Fast Times Before Finals meet on Saturday, December 10.
To view the full 2016-17 Landmark Conference Men's Indoor Track & Field Preseason Poll, visit http://landmarkconference.org/sports/track/2016-17/releases/12082016indtpreseason.
