Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Crowell Open
Men’s Track & Field Opens Indoor Campaign at Crowell Open
December 05, 2022 | Men's Track and Field
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Army West Point men's track & field opened its indoor season at home, competing in the Crowell Open from Gillis Field House.
Army welcomed athletes from Albany, Vassar, Mount Saint Mary, Manhattan, US Merchant Marine Academy and Columbia along with USMAPS.
The Black Knights took him first place in ten events total, highlighted by freshman Austin Hernandez winning both the 200m dash and the 60m hurdles. Shawn Carter posted a 1:56.22 time to claim the 800m dash while contributing in the 4x400m relay victory alongside Ryan McDonagh, Kasen Jeitz and Javan Guevara-Cragwell.
David Counts won three pentathlon events (1000m run, high jump, long jump) on his way to winning the event and setting the meet record. Army dominated in shot put, claiming the top six spots led by event winner Luke Noonan while Robbie Manse and Kyle Patel rounded out the top three. Cam Smith set the meet record in the weight throw, with a 20.41m throw while Jake Nwosu tabbed third-place in the event.
Army Event Winners
200 Meter Dash: Austin Hernandez (22:71)
400 Meter Dash: Shawn Carter (49.94)
800 Meter Dash: Caden Smith (1:56.22)
3000 Meter Run: Nathan Davis (8:31.61)
60 Meter Hurdles: Austin Hernandez (8.09)
4x400 Meter Relay: Shawn Carter, Kasen Jeitz, Ryan McDonagh, Javan Guevara-Cragwell (3:20.84)
Pole Vault: Ethan Hull (4.90m)
Shot Put: Luke Noonan (15.85m)
Weight Throw: Cam Smith (20.41m)*
Indoor Pentathlon: David Counts (3248)*
Meet Record*
For full meet results click HERE.
Coach's Corner
"We had some spirited competition today and the meet results exceeded what we have normally come to expect from our first meet in December. Albany brought a complete team and Manhattan College brought a fair number of competitive athletes and the higher level of competition drove the outcomes. The best mark of the day came in the weight throw. Cameron Smith was a solid weight man last year but today he took his throwing to another level. His personal best in the weight going into this season was 20.13 meters set last year at the Army Navy meet. Today he took over the number 2 all-time mark on the Army weight throw list and set a new meet record in the process. We have had a number of good weight men in recent years so Cam is in good company as we project forward into the championship season. We have worked hard to improve our multi event depth and today in the pentathlon we had some good marks from both Canyon Hall and David Counts. David posted multiple personal best marks on his way to a pretty strong day. He is very coachable, doesn't over think things and is a fearless competitor. As a result, he has made himself into a solid multi-eventer and I think he will be a strong conference performer come February. Canyon is not new to the multi but as a plebe he has had to adapt to a heavier shot put, the 42" hurdles and of course the new life at West Point. He has transitioned well and today was a very nice first attempt at a pentathlon. It was great to see him compete. If I had to single out one other performance from today, it would be the hurdles and the two races that Austin Hernandez ran. Austin is a tremendous athlete, period. He is just figuring out what he is capable of. He ran two hurdle races today and both put him on the All-time Army top 10 list. Last year we rolled into meets knowing we had one of the best hurdlers to ever come to a service academy in Justin Young. We knew when Justin graduated that we would have a hard time replacing him. That statement remains true. But Austin Hernandez is a pretty good hurdler and his 8.09 today moved him to #6 all-time in only his 2nd collegiate race. He is wired and he is fast. It will be fun to watch him develop over time. Overall, the meet was a great start to the season. We got a lot of work in and the guys competed well. If we can get lucky with winter break weather and have everyone come back to the Academy in January in the same shape that we showed today, we will do quite well this season." - Director of Track & Field Mike Smith
Up Next
Army will host the West Point Open on Friday, Jan. 6th to get the indoor season into full swing.
Players Mentioned
