Men's Track & Field Returns for West Point Open

Friday, January 6

West Point, NY

Army West Point

West Point Open

Men's Track & Field Returns for West Point Open

January 08, 2023 | Men's Track and Field

WEST POINT, NY - Army West Point men's track & field returned to action in 2023 as host to the West Point Open. The Black Knights claimed four event winners overall, including both throwing events.

Army welcomed competitors from Brown, Sacred Heart, Le Moyne, Queensbrorough CC and the US Merchant Marine Academy through the day's competition.

The Black Knights claimed the top-two spots in the 500m dash, with junior Elijah Bellamy posting a 1:06.73 time to edge out teammate Shawn Carter (1:07.9). In the 3000m, Christopher Verdugo had a great showing, logging a second-place finish via a 9:01.95 while Sam Arnold's 9:14.06 landed in fifth-place.

Carter and Bellamy teamed up with Daniel Sommerhalder and Brian Matthews for the 4x400 relay, coming in second place by the narrowest of margins to the Brown quartet of runners, as Army's time clocked 3:25.014 while Brown's came in at 3:25.013. Army took the top-four spots in the pole vault, led by Ethan Hesson's 4.75m to win the event. Ethan Hull and David Counts came in right behind with 4.75m showings while Brian McSweeney registered fourth with a 4.60m vault.

In the throwing events, Freshman Robbie Manse recorded a win in the shot put, with a 15.42m besting the field of 15+. Cam Smith dominated in the weight throw, posting 18.20m for a comfortable victory as teammate Jake Nwosu claimed second-place with a 16.07m throw.

For a full list of results click HERE.

Army Event Winners
500m dash: Elijah Bellamy (1:06.73)
Pole Vault: Ethan Hesson (4.75m)
Shot Put: Robbie Manse (15.42m)
Weight Throw: Cam Smith (18.20m)

Coach's Corner
"Most of our team returned to post yesterday so the meet today was a quick turnaround for our team and we were selective on who we entered. Coming back from the break there are a lot more questions than answers about fitness levels so this meet gave us a chance to see where we are. Both Brown University and Sacred Heart brought large teams so there were quite a few competitive events. The highlight on the mens side was the win in the shot put by Robbie Manse. The adjustment from the high school shot (12lb) to the collegiate shot (16lb) is a difficult one and Robbie had a great fall training block, added some good weight to his frame and got a lot stronger. Today's performance and win was a big breakthrough. He has a bright future. Cameron Smith won the weight throw with a mark that was a bit short of his personal best. He will get back to his December form quickly. The pole vault guys had some good attempts at some high bars and finished 1,2,3. Elijah Bellamy looked strong today in his 500m race. He is the defending Army Navy champion so it was great to see him get another win in that event. He also ran a strong leg on the 4x400 relay. He will play a big role in our success this season and judging by what I saw from him today he is ready to go. The guys are looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead and today's meet was a good way to get started." - Director of Track & Field Mike Smith

Up Next
Army will head south for the Virginia Tech Invitational, taking place on Jan. 13-14.