NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – The Trinity College men's indoor track and field team opened up its 2021-22 season at Smith College Saturday in the Smith Winter Classic. Sophomore Ethan Wilkie (Ellington, Conn.) headlined the day for the Bantams setting a new school record in the shot put with a toss of 15.01 meters. Trinity returns to Smith College on Saturday Jan. 15 for the Smith Pioneer Invitational. 
 
In addition to setting a new Trinity College program record, Wilkie's 15.01 meter throw earned him a first-place finish amongst 18 finalist on the day. Meanwhile on the track, senior Robert Allen (Bloomfield, Conn.) showed he's ready to have another strong season in the sprints finishing second in the finals with a time of 7.07 while classmate Kinnard Hughes (Chicago, Ill.) recorded a new personal best 7.15 second 60-meter dash finishing immediately behind Allen for a third place score. Hughes also had a strong season opener in the triple jump, placing second with a distance of 13.82 meters. 
 
In the distance events, senior Tim Lautenbach showed no issues dropping down from the cross country 8k, as he snatched up a first place finish in the 1000 meter at 2:33.77. Sophomore Samuel Stymish (Newton, Mass.) also earned a first place finish in the 1-mile clocking a time of 4:34.65 with classmate Toby L'Esperance (Florence, Mass.) following closely behind in third place (4:42.47). Additionally, first-year Vicente Gil (Huntington Valley, Pa.) opened his career with a good day placing second in the pole vault, clearing the bar at 3.50 meters. 
 
"Great energy to start the season and some strong performances," said Trinity Head Coach John Michael Mason. "Always nice to get a sense of where you are and what you can build on as a team. These men and women are ready to have a fun winter on the track."