RHIT Selected by Coaches as HCAC Men’s Indoor Track & Field Favorites

GREENWOOD, IN – Rose-Hulman’s men’s track and field team has been selected as the unanimous front runner to win the 2012 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference indoor championship. In a poll of the ten HCAC head coaches, the Engineers received 100 total points and all ten first place votes. 

Franklin College will strive for the indoor title, as the Grizzlies totaled a second-best 78 points.  Defiance College placed third in the poll with 77 points and Anderson University finished fourth with 73 points.  Manchester College finished fifth with 68 points and was followed by Earlham College (46 points), College of Mount St. Joseph (46), Hanover College (30), Bluffton University (18), and Transylvania University (14).

Rose claimed last season’s inaugural HCAC indoor championship at Anderson and will look for a second-straight this February in Terre Haute.  The Engineers return three All-HCAC members from last year’s indoor title squad and will look for similar success this winter.  Senior Sutton Coleman (Lebanon, Va./H.S.) does it all for the Engineers and will look to repeat as conference champion in the 55-meter high hurdles, triple jump, and 4X400 meter relay.  The senior also earned a second place finish in the 200-meter dash last winter. 

Franklin earned a fourth place finish at last year’s indoor championship meet and will try for their first conference track and field title this winter.  The Grizzlies will turn to junior Georard Mitchell (Indianapolis, Ind./Howe) to lead the effort in Terre Haute this February.  As a sophomore, Mitchell won the indoor title in the long jump and placed third in the 55-meter and 200-meter dashes.  He also earned a fourth place finish in the triple jump and was a member of the third place 4X400 meter relay squad.

Defiance finished second at last winter’s HCAC indoor meet and will strive for a title at this winter’s indoor championship.  The Jackets will look to replace last year’s Most Outstanding Field Athlete, losing Austin Trivett to graduation.  Senior Justin Perkins (Bryan, Ohio/Fairview) returns for the Jackets after placing sixth in the mile run and 5,000-meter run at last winter’s meet.

The 2012 HCAC Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championships are set for Saturday, February 18 at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

The 2012 men’s indoor track and field season gets in full swing this weekend.

Athletes to Watch