NEW YORK, NY (Feb. 22, 2026) – The Sacred Heart University Pioneers won the 2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s Indoor Track & Field Championship at the Nike Track and Field Center at The Armory on Sunday afternoon. The Pioneers controlled throughout the meet, closing out their championship performance with 114 points to secure the program’s first ever MAAC Indoor Track & Field Title.
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Men’s Standings
|
|
Place
|
Team
|
Points
|
-
|
Sacred Heart
|
114
|
-
|
Mount St. Mary’s
|
108
|
-
|
Iona
|
101
|
-
|
Rider
|
84.5
|
-
|
Saint Peter
|
49
|
-
|
Marist
|
49
|
-
|
Merrimack
|
42
|
-
|
Manhattan
|
27.5
|
-
|
Canisius
|
25
|
-
|
Siena
|
21
|
The Pioneers wasted no time setting the tone on championship Sunday. Gavin Alvarez delivered Sacred Heart’s first gold medal of the evening in the 200-meter dash, sprinting to a winning time of 21.72 seconds. In a statement performance that highlighted the team’s sprint depth, teammate Colin Brown followed immediately behind, earning silver in 21.73 seconds to give the Pioneers a one-two finish and a significant boost in the team standings.
Sacred Heart continued to add crucial points on the track, earning a silver medal in the 60-meter hurdles and securing bronze in the 60-meter dash to remain firmly in control of the championship race. The Pioneers also placed second in the 4x400-meter relay, a pivotal late-meet event that ultimately helped solidify their overall team score. Across sprints, hurdles, and relays, Sacred Heart’s consistency and depth proved to be the difference.
Finishing just six points behind the champions was Mount St. Mary's University, who totaled 108 points in a strong runner-up performance. The Mountaineers dominated several of the track events, earning gold in the 60-meter hurdles while also capturing titles in the 800-meter run, 400-meter dash, and 60-meter dash. Their sprint success, combined with a bronze medal performance in the triple jump, kept them within striking distance of Sacred Heart throughout the meet.
Close behind in third place was Iona University, finishing with 101 points. The Gaels once again showcased their strength in the distance events, controlling the longer races and consistently placing multiple runners in scoring positions. Iona’s dominance in the mile and 3,000-meter events generated key team points, while strong performances in the 5,000 meters and distance relays reinforced their reputation as one of the conference’s premier distance programs.
The meet also featured record-breaking performances. Cashieve Blair of Saint Peter's University set a new MAAC Championship record in the men’s 400-meter dash, clocking 47.02 seconds and surpassing the previous mark of 47.91 set by Ben Boyd of Monmouth. Blair later teamed up with Owolabi, Peck-Wekunda, and Yeager to break the MAAC record in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:14.54, delivering one of the most electrifying moments of the championship.
|
Event
|
Name
|
School
|
Time/Distance
|
|
Men’s Mile
|
Tristan Coles
|
Iona
|
4:09:28
|
|
Men’s 60m Hurdle
|
Abdulazeez Iyiola
|
Mount St. Mary’s
|
8:232
|
|
Men’s 60m Dash
|
Amari Mathis
|
Marist
|
6.74
|
|
Men’s 400m
|
Cashieve Blair*
|
Saint Peter’s
|
47.02
|
|
Men’s 800m
|
Brian Yeager
|
Saint Peter’s
|
1:50:64
|
|
Men's 200m
|
Gavin Alvarez
|
Sacred Heart
|
21.72
|
|
Men’s 3000m
|
Matt Rankin
|
Iona
|
8:13.72
|
|
Men’s 4x800
|
Invalidated
|
-
|
-
|
|
Men’s 4x400
|
F. Owolabi, C. Blair, A. Peck-Wekunda, B. Yeager*
|
Saint Peter’s
|
3:14.54
|
|
Men’s Shot Put
|
Damere Lassiter
|
Rider
|
16.08m
|
|
Men’s Triple Jump
|
Jiles Addison
|
Iona
|
14.50m
|
*Broken MAAC Records
Cashieve Blair of Saint Peter's University set a new MAAC Championship record in the men’s 400-meter dash with a time of 47.02 seconds, breaking the previous mark of 47.91 set by Ben Boyd of Monmouth University.
Owolabi, Blair, Peck-Wekunda, and Yeager of Saint Peter’s clocked a 3:14.54 in the 4x400m relay to set a new MAAC Championship record, surpassing Manhattan’s previous mark of 3:14.88.
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Award
|
Men
|
Women
|
|
MAAC Track Rookie of the Meet
|
Gavin Alvarez
|
Alex Schulz
|
|
MAAC Field Rookie of the Meet
|
Ben Walls
|
Kendra Green
|
|
MAAC Track Most Outstanding Performer
|
Matt Rankin
|
Isabella Anzaldo
|
|
MAAC Field Most Outstanding Performer
|
Damere Lassiter
|
Suzan Adekunle
|
|
MAAC MVP
|
Matt Rankin
|
Isabella Anzaldo
|
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena University.
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