GAMBIER, Ohio -- The 2025 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships are on deck for the Kenyon College men's track and field team, with the two-day conference finale set to get underway on Friday, May 2. The meet will be hosted by DePauw University at the Tigers' Blackstock Stadium in Greencastle, Indiana. Friday's action will start at 9 a.m., while Saturday's events begin at 10 a.m.

The championship encompasses four days and two weekends, with the decathlon taking place last weekend at Oberlin College. The Owls did not have a representative at the combined events, so Kenyon will have some ground to make up as one of two teams entering the final stretch without any points to carry over into this weekend's NCAC Championships.

Prior to the combined events, the Owls placed seventh in the pre-championship poll, tallying 23 points from conference coaches. Wittenberg University, winners of two straight indoor team titles, took the top spot in the projected rankings after wracking up 80 points and eight of nine first-place votes. Wabash College, the defending outdoor champions and winners of 10 of the last 13 outdoor championships, slotted into second with 67 points, while Denison University ranked third at 66 points and received the other first-place vote.

Last season, the Owls finished the outdoor finale in eighth place. This year's squad will likely have to rely on distance/mid-distance runners in track events, while the Owls will also be counting on scoring from a few field events.

Amongst NCAC competitors, Kenyon's two highest placements this season have come from field events. In the discus throw, Graham Yeager ranks third in the conference with a 44.14-meter (144-10) toss. The first-year also ranks 20th in both the shot put and the hammer throw. In the triple jump, Josh Greville is in a good position to garner points with the NCAC's fourth-furthest mark. The junior's best jump measured 13.09 meters (42-11 ½). Another field event competitor that will look to get into scoring position is J'Sun Gardner. The junior has the eighth-best distance in the javelin throw, measuring out at 46.30 meters (151-11).

In running events, the 3,000-meter steeplechase figures to be a high-scoring race for the Owls. Kenyon runners have posted the fifth-, sixth-, seventh-, and ninth-fastest finishes amongst NCAC competitors this spring. Junior Owen Rodstrom (9:40.36), senior Peter Bernhardt (9:50.79), and juniors Colt Murphy (9:51.91) and Noah Hopkins (10:05.63) will all hope to add to the team's scoring total. Last year, Rodstrom and Bernhardt finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Four other distance/mid-distance races should see Owls finish towards the top of the standings. Charlie Blackmer holds the fifth seed in the 1,500-meter (3:59.09) and the sixth seed in the 800-meter (1:56.28). William Wilson (10th) and Bernhardt (11th) are also in the hunt for points in the 1,500, and Wilson is seeded 14th in the 800. In the two longest events, the 5,000- and 10,000-meter races, two Owls hold the sixth-speediest times. Bernhardt paces Kenyon in the 5,000 with a time of 15:15.13, while Joshua Breard has a team-best time of 32:30.96 in the 10,000. Fellow junior Theo Hordon (33:15.88) is seeded 10th in the 10,000.

In shorter races, the only Owl with a top-eight time is Greville, who sits seventh in the league's 400-meter standings at 49.82. In both relay races, the Owls are seeded sixth. Kudzaishe Mhere, Satchel Barnes, Julius Thompson, and Emmanuel Makelele have a top time of 42.91 in the 4x100-meter relay, while Marius Mazeika, Makelele, Mhere, and Blackmer hold Kenyon's best 4x400-meter relay time at 3:22.59.

Ticket prices for each day of the event are $5 for adults, and $3 for children (18 and under) and students without an NCAC institution ID, while NCAC students with a valid student ID are admitted for free. Tickets are sold online only at depauwtigers.com/ncactickets.