Shippensburg. Pa - Hood College men's Track & Field team took on tough conditions this weekend at the Paul Kaiser Classic, hosted by Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Battling cold temperatures and steady rain making for a long, challenging day, but the Blazers embraced the grind and delivered a series of statement performances.
Top Times
Senior Alex Seskar (Great Mills, Md./Great Mills) stepped out of his comfort zone in a big way. Known for the 5K and 10K, he dropped down to the 1500m making it count, delivering a personal best with a time of 4:18.47 and showing off impressive speed heading into the conference.
For the sprints, a friendly rivalry was on full display. 800m standout Senior Chris Sappe (Ijamsville, Md./Urbana) clocked a strong 52.26 seconds in the 400m, only to be merged by teammate Junior Juan Barberena (Urbana, Md./Urbana), who powered through for a time of 51.71 seconds With Middle Atlantic Conference Championships on deck, Sappe has his sights set on the 800m title, while Barberena is gearing up to make noise in both the 200m and 400m.
The 1500m group showed serious depth, led by Junior Warren Hersh (Havre de Grace, Md./The Tome School) with a strong 4:20.00 performance. Freshman Ramzee Keyrouz (Bethesda, MD/Walter Johnson) also made his mark, setting a personal record and continuing to build momentum. In the 800m, First Year Alonzo Miles (Washington, DC/KIPP DC College Prep) demonstrated his potential with a personal record of 2:07.45 teasing more to come.
In the field, the vaulters battled the weather as much as the bar. Senior Carter Naiman cleared a solid 3.80m before conditions cut the event short, while First year Ian Pezenosky () added a 3.50m clearance.
The throws squad continued to build, highlighted by First Year Aboubacar D'Almeida had a strong shot put debut at 9.88m. Junior Ballah Salieu put together an all-around performance, setting a personal record in the discus with 19.70m and hammer 17.11m, while also adding a 32.02m mark in the javelin. He was narrowly led by teammate Junior Neil Rozario (Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg Area High School), who led the Blazers in the event with a throw of 33.68m.
Given the conditions the Blazers didn't back down. With momentum building across the board, the team now turns its focus to the Middle Atlantic Conference Championship Outdoor Track & Field Championships on April 30, 2026 through May 2, 2025
