Schedule
Roster
WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University men's track and field squad is finishing its preparations for its first weekend of competition this weekend, as the Golden Rams will compete in three meets in two days beginning on Friday at the Historic New York City Armory for the Armory Collegiate Distance Carnival. In addition to a contingent of its distance squad heading to the Armory, West Chester will also send a small contingent to Boston for the Sharon-Colyear Danville Invitational. Most of the Golden Rams will begin their 2025-26 season at Bucknell for the Bison Opener on Friday and Saturday.
"We've had a great fall up to this point," opened Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Colin Leak. "I've been very impressed by how committed and competitive this group has been, even through the long days of workouts leading up to our first meet, so I think we are in a great position for a fun season."
Following its trip to Bucknell, West Chester will make its first trip of the season to Ocean Breeze next Friday night for the Wagner Seahawk Shootout before breaking for the Holiday with the next meet on the schedule coming at Alvernia on Saturday, January 17.
After this, West Chester will head to Lehigh for the Hounds Indoor Classic on January 24 before another split squad weekend on January 30 and 31
st at the Bucknell Multi and Widener Schuylkill Showcase at Penn.
West Chester will open February at the Fast Track Invitational at Ocean Breeze before another split squad weekend at Boston and Penn on February 13 and 14. West Chester will conclude its regular-season indoor slate at the Keogh Invitational on February 20, ahead of the PSAC Indoor Championships on February 28 and March 1.
At the 2025 edition of the PSAC Indoor Championships, West Chester finished ninth with 15 points, thanks in part to five points from its DMR squad, and another five from
Damian Simpson (Easton, Pa./Wilson), who took fourth in the 60 in 6.88 seconds.
Josh Miller (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) finished seventh in the mile in 4:23.13, and
Derrick Lukomski-Pizzo took seventh in the shot put with a mark of 51 feet 4 ¼ inches after narrowly missing a podium finish in the weight throw with a mark of 50-3 ¼ on Saturday evening.
Chase Hildreband (Chalfont, Pa./CB South) took 11
th in the heptathlon with a score of 3,491, including a fifth-place finish in the 1000 in 2:58.97, while
Chase Parkinson (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) was ninth in the triple jump with a mark of 45-3 ¾.
"The track team has been working really hard, and we are excited to showcase the work we've been putting in. Bucknell is a great facility and a great first meet to start the year, and this group has really earned it. We have seen some great practices and great intensity out of this group all fall, and we really aren't looking at this first meet as a "rust-buster" but think it could be a strong start to an exciting season," continued Leak.
On the distance side, West Chester will look to build off an excellent 2025 cross-country season, which saw the team record its best finish at the PSAC Championships since 1971 (fourth) and seventh at the Atlantic Regional Championships. Miller qualified for the National Championships, marking the first time since 2019 that West Chester sent a member of its men's cross country team to the National Stage and finished 62
nd in 31:04.0 to cap off a fall, which had seen him finish fifth in the PSAC Championships and sixth in the Regional Championships.
Miller was one of four Golden Rams to earn All-League honors this fall as
Jason Vogt (Southampton, Pa./William Tennent) joined him on the First Team with a 10
th-place finish at the PSAC Championships in 25:23.7, while
Matt Remishofski (Wall, N.J./Wall) and
Nicholas Forman (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) were 23
rd and 26
th in 25:54 and 26:09.90to earn Second Team honors.
"Our cross country teams had a great fall season and are coming into the weekend off Championship season, so they are really at their peak right now. We decided to try and hold on to this peak instead of shutting down and try to really capitalize on our aerobic fitness early in indoor season," explained Leak.
Thomas Smith (Wallingford, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) headlines the returning throwers for West Chester as the Golden Rams return experience in all events in 2025.
"Every year, it's a slightly different group, so we have to reestablish our team culture and show what our team is going to be all year. The returners have done a great job modeling what we want this group to be this season and setting high standards for the younger athletes to follow. It's always fun to see how the returners mature year-to-year, and I think this group has done a great job of that. People like
Nick Tran,
Damian Simpson, and
David Burnshaw have done a great job with a young group on the track.
Robert Karol,
Chase Parkinson, and
Thomas Smith have also been great leaders in their respective field events, so I think we are in great shape to start the season."
In addition to the strong group of returners, West Chester welcomes 28 new faces to the track and field roster in 2025-26, including a number of familiar names from the cross country roster this fall, who will all look to help West Chester continue its upward trajectory throughout the 2025-26 season.
"We brought in a big class of newcomers between freshmen and transfers (28 student-athletes), and we are really excited to see what they can do for us this year. I think we have people all throughout the team who can contribute right away and really help us take a run at some program records again this season."
As always, fans are encouraged to visit wcupagoldenrams.com and follow West Chester Athletics on social media for all the latest news and notes on the Golden Rams varsity athletic programs.
