CINCINNATI, Ohio - Manchester University's men's indoor track and field team took second place at the 2023 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Indoor Championships on Saturday, February 25. The Spartans finished the day with 135 team points. 

Enrique Salazar (Plymouth, Ind., Plymouth) was named the 2023 HCAC Men's Most Outstanding Distance Athlete of the Year. 

Ben Villafuerte (Angola, Ind., Angola) was named 2023 HCAC Men's Most Outstanding Throws Athlete of the Year. 

Corbin Till (Fort Wayne, Ind., Bishop Dwenger) was named HCAC Newcomer of the Year. 

The day got started on the track in the 5000 meter, with Manchester taking two of the top-three slots with Enrique Salazar earning his third-straight title with a time of 15:10.99, setting a new HCAC Championship record. In the mile, Salazar finished in first place, racing a time of 4:34.65. In the final two events of the championship, Salazar won the 3000 meter race, capping off a great meet for the Manchester Senior.

In the shot put, Ben Villafuerte bested the competition with a throw of 16.45 meters, setting a new HCAC Championship Meet Record and Manchester school record. Villafuerte's distance currently ranks 8 in the nation. 

Corbin Till was a member of the men's 4x200 meter relay team that took second place with a time of 1:32.17. Till also took third in the 60 meter dash and the 200 meter dash. 

Sophomore Quentin Willis (Athens, Ga., Oglethorpe) broke the Manchester school record in the 60 meter hurdles preliminaries with a time of 8.58. 

MANCHESTER POINT SCORERS 
    1st Place
        1 Mile Run -  Enrique Salazar - 4:34.65 
        3,000 Meter Run - Enrique Salazar - 8:53.56
        5,000 Meter Run - Enrique Salazar - 15:10.99
        Shot Put - Ben Villafuerte - 16.45m
    2nd Place
        200 Meter Dash - Gabe Melvin - 22.99
        3,000 Meter Run - Connor Havens - 8:54.46
        4x200 Meter Relay - Corbin Till, Tristen Bronaugh, Duriel Moss Jr., Gabe Melvin - 1:32.17
    3rd Place 
        60 Meter Dash - Corbin Till - 7.07
        200 Meter Dash - Corbin Till  - 23.00
        5,000 Meter Dash - Connor Havens - 15:17.21
        60 Meter Hurdles - Quentin Willis - 8.72
        Shot Pit - Gabe Hendricks -15.26m
        Weight Throw - Gabe Hendricks - 16.26m
    4th Place 
        Pole Vault - Trevor Getts - 3.05m
    5th Place 
        1 Mile Run - Connor Havens - 4:37.35
        800 Meter Run - Gavin Byerly - 2:02.03
        Long Jump - Gentry Oliver - 6.24m
        Triple Jump - Rolando Phillips - 12.37m
        Weight Throw - Gabe Hendricks -15.65m
    6th Place 
    7th Place 
        60 Meter Dash - Duriel Moss Jr.  - 7.23
        Long Jump - Rolando Phillips - 6.10m
        Triple Jump -Gentry Oliver -12.10m
    8th Place 
        60 Meter Dash - Gabe Melvin - 7.31
        200 Meter Dash - Duriel Moss Jr. - 23.45
        1 Mile Run - Gavin Byerly - 4:38.97
        4x400 Meter Relay - Tristen Bronaugh, Brenden Oden, Gavin Byerly, Ben Miles - 3:40.42

TEAM SCORES
1 Rose-Hulman 181.33
2 Manchester 135
3 Bluffton 79
4 Anderson 51
5 Franklin 50.33
6 Mount St. Joseph 38.33
7 Earlham 36
8 Hanover 35
9 Transylvania 33
10 Defiance 17