Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Wins 51st Sparky Adams Invitational

Sophomore distance runner Kyle White won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 51st Sparky Adams Invitational

Posted: Apr 02, 2021

By: Erin Madden

BEREA, Ohio - The Baldwin Wallace University men's outdoor track and field team won the 51st Sparky Adams Invitational, the first outdoor meet of the season hosted inside George Finnie Stadium.

BW won the six-team meet with 130 points while Otterbein University was the runner-up with a total of 117 points.

The Yellow Jackets collected four individual event victories on the track. Sophomore distance runner Kyle White (Mount Gilead) kicked things off with a win in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a time of 10:04.22. Freshman sprinter Mason Birkbeck (Wadsworth) followed that up by winning the 100-meter dash in a career-best 11.73 seconds. Junior distance runner David Prather (Hardin, Mont.) turned in a season-best time of 2:00.21 to win the 800-meter run and freshman sprinter Marcus Price (North Ridgeville) claimed the 200-meter dash in a career-best 23.54 seconds.

Additional top-three finishes came from freshman distance runner Kyle Smith (West Henrietta, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta), Birkbeck, freshman sprinter Desmond Manley (Akron/St. Vincent-St. Mary) and freshman distance runner Gehrig Stanley (Twinsburg/Benedictine). Smith was the runner-up in the 3,000 steeplechase in 10:52.98. On top of his win in the 100, Birkbeck also finished as the runner-up in the 200 in a career-best 23.71 seconds. Manley made it a clean sweep for BW in the 200 with a third-place finish in 23.81 seconds while Stanley placed third in the 800-meter run in a time of 2:06.98.

The relay team of sophomore hurdler ShaDaryll Clark (Brook Park/Berea-Midpark), Manley, senior distance runner Jose Reynoso (Painesville/Harvey) and Price claimed a runner-up finish in the 4x400-meter relay in a time of 3:44.22.

In the field, sophomore jumper Luke Salmon (Sandusky/Perkins) claimed a victory of his own, winning the pole vault when he cleared a career-best 13 feet, 5.75 inches. Freshman jumper Kai Yee (Berea/Berea-Midpark) was the runner-up in the high jump, tying a career-high mark of 5'10.75". Both events were contested indoors due to weather conditions. Junior thrower Jeremy Coad (Dublin/Jerome) won the javelin throw with a career-best toss of 125'10".

BW will return to the track on Saturday, April 10, for the Greg Tyson Jr. Invitational, hosted by Heidelberg University, beginning at 11 a.m. inside Hoernemann Stadium.