By Tiffany Williams –
NEW LONDON, Conn. — The numbers say second place. The scoreboard says 32 points. But don’t let that fool you — the WPI Engineers men’s track and field didn’t just “open competition” at the NEWMAC Championships.
They made it clear exactly where they stand — and exactly what’s missing.
Because here’s the reality: this is a team showing flashes of dominance in pockets… but not yet across the board.
Start with Ethan Anderson and Gavin Fleck.
Second place in the hammer throw. Second place in the pole vault. Both earning second team All-NEWMAC honors. Strong? Yes. Elite? Not quite. Close enough to see the top — not close enough to own it.
Ethan Anderson hits 48.24 meters. Gavin Fleck clears 4.85 meters. Those are winning-caliber numbers on the right day. But this wasn’t that day. And at this level, second place is a statement — just not the one you want.
Then you look at the supporting cast.
John Cummings adds a seventh-place finish in the hammer throw at 41.78 meters. Ajay Bellamy lands 10th in the pole vault at 3.65 meters. That’s depth, but it’s not impact depth. That’s where meets are quietly won and lost — those middle placements that either build momentum or leave points on the table.
Now here’s where things shift.
Ethan Ramirez didn’t just compete in the decathlon. He took control of it.
Winning the 400 meters in 54.21. Winning the long jump at 6.45 meters. Winning the 100 meters in 11.39. That’s not participation — that’s dominance across disciplines that demand completely different skill sets.
And the result? A 296-point lead heading into day two.
That’s not a margin. That’s leverage. That’s a competitor dictating the pace of an entire multi-event field. If WPI is going to make a push, it runs directly through Ethan Ramirez.
But one dominant decathlete doesn’t close an 89-point gap.
Because that’s the other number you can’t ignore.
MIT Engineers men’s track and field sitting at 89 points. Not 40. Not 50. Eighty-nine. That’s not a lead — that’s control of the meet.
WPI at 32. Coast Guard at 26. The rest chasing.
That gap isn’t closed with “solid performances.” That gap demands event wins, not runner-ups.
There were glimpses of that.
Matt Richards hits 56.93 meters in the javelin for third place. Brett Gerlach posts 6.89 meters in the long jump for another third. Joshua Thomas adds a ninth-place finish. Useful points, yes — but again, not the kind that flip a leaderboard.
On the track, Jackson Sobelman grinds out a seventh-place finish in the 10,000 meters with a time of 32:38.18. That’s endurance. That’s effort. That’s two points that matter — but two points that don’t shift the narrative.
The sprinters, though — that’s where things get interesting.
Sam Manteria drops the top qualifying time in the 100 meters at 10.62. Alex Cole right behind at 10.64. Justin Serrecchia still in the mix at 10.80. That’s three finalists, including the fastest qualifier.
That’s opportunity.
Aloiye Okhipo adds a third-place qualifying time in the 110-meter hurdles at 14.63. Another lane into a potential swing event.
And this is where the meet actually turns.
Because prelims don’t score points. Finals do.
Right now, WPI has positioned itself with athletes in contention — but not yet on top of the podium. That’s the difference between chasing and closing.
Let’s be blunt about it.
This team is performing well. But “well” doesn’t erase an 89-point lead.
The question heading into day two isn’t whether WPI is competitive.
They are.
The question is whether they can convert placements into wins fast enough to apply pressure to MIT before the gap becomes mathematically untouchable.
And that pressure starts in exactly two places.
The finals — where Sam Manteria, Alex Cole, Justin Serrecchia, and Aloiye Okhipo have to turn qualifying into scoring.
And the decathlon — where Ethan Ramirez has already built the kind of lead that demands he finish the job.
Because right now, WPI is showing pieces of a championship-level team.
But MIT is showing the full version.
And until that changes, second place isn’t a position.
It’s a warning.