HOUGHTON, N.Y. - The Daemen College men's track and field team made its long awaited 2020-21 debut by taking part in the Houghton Invitational this afternoon. The event was hosted by Houghton College in the Kerr-Pegula Field House.

It marked Daemen's first activity since Feb. 22, 2020 when the Wildcats took part in the East Coast Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships. The entire 2020 outdoor season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A record-breaking effort by graduate student Sullivan Keller (Alden, N.Y.) in the shot put highlighted the afternoon for the Wildcats.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Keller set a new school record and placed first out of 15 competitors in the shot put after posting a throw of 15.15 meters in his sixth and final throw of the day. He eclipsed the previous school record of 15.10 meters set by Mark Fox during the 2013 ECC Indoor Championships. Keller, who also owns the school record for the shot put during the outdoor season, placed first in the shot put for the fifth time in his career. He also placed third out of 13 participants in the weight throw with a toss of 15.42 meters.
• Freshman middle distance runner Jon Moote (Wilson, N.Y.) enjoyed a solid collegiate debut, as he placed second out of 11 runners in the 3,000 meters with a time of 9:23.67.
• The Wildcats also had a strong showing in both the 400 and 800 meter runs. Sophomore Dominic Clementi (Barker, N.Y.) placed third out of 15 runners in the 400 meters with a person-best time of 52.85. Sophomore John Bruggman (Batavia, N.Y.) and freshman Connor O'Brien (Hamburg, N.Y.) both finished in the top 10 in the 800 meters. Bruggman placed seventh (2:06.19), while O'Brien placed ninth (2:07.56) in his collegiate debut.
• Sophomore Alexander Reynolds (Olean, N.Y.) competed in the mile run and placed 20th with a personal-best time of 5:40.07.
• Daemen's 4x400 relay team placed first out of six teams with a time of 3:40.11. The team consisted of Brainard, O'Brien, Bruggman and Clementi.
• Freshman Hessen Bahgat (Fredonia, N.Y.) also made his collegiate debut today and placed third out of five competitors in the pole vault with a jump of 3.20 meters.
• Junior Zach Brainard (Lancaster, N.Y.) took part in both the long jump and the triple jump. He placed seventh in the long jump (5.85 meters) and was the lone competitor in the triple jump (11.18 meters). His effort in the long jump was a person best.

UP NEXT
Daemen is now idle until it opens the 2021 Outdoor Track & Field season. Details of the outdoor season are forthcoming.

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

Support Daemen College's return to intercollegiate athletic competitions by making a contribution to the Game On Campaign and the Daemen Wildcats Gotta Play Fund. This comprehensive fundraising campaign was established to help offset the loss of valuable external revenue streams that directly support Daemen's 17 varsity teams. To learn more, visit daemenwildcats.com/gameon.