The Keene State Men’s Track and Field 4×100 team made history on April 6, breaking a school record that had stood untouched for 50 years.
The original mark—43.4 seconds—was set in 1975 by Bob Meehan, Bob Mole, Tom Neary and Stan Brittingham. Back then, the race was measured at 100 yards rather than 100 meters. Regardless, it has stood to be the benchmark for every Keene State sprint team. That is, until juniors Aidan Law, Jonathan DeAguiar, Kyle Thomas and first-year Sean Von Ranson shattered it at the Springfield College Classic with a time of 42.37 seconds. Their performance not only rewrote the Keene State record book but also placed them among the top 20 relay times in the nation.
The race itself unfolded with precision. Law fired out of the blocks and set the tone early. DeAguiar flew down the backstretch before passing off to Von Ranson, who rounded the curve cleanly and handed it to anchor Thomas. He powered down the homestretch and brought it home. Though the Owls finished second behind WPI, the time was what mattered.
Head Coach Dan Roark credited their bond and belief in each other.
“Their biggest motivator is doing it for their teammates,” Roark said. “They love doing things that haven’t been done before.”
That team-first mentality has fueled an already standout season for Keene State’s sprinters. Many of the same athletes in this relay have been busy breaking individual records, too. Just a week before this race, Thomas broke the school’s 100-meter dash record. Law—already a multi-event standout—holds Keene State indoor records in the long jump, 200-meter and 400-meter.
Still, the team members said this one meant something different.
“I definitely think this one probably means a little bit more since it’s such an old record,” Law said. “It’s probably the oldest one we’ve broken so far.”
The 4×100 is a fast-paced event that requires handoffs, chemistry and trust to execute.
“We push each other,” DeAguiar said. “We try to tell each other that we’re better than what we think we’re capable of.”
That support means everything for DeAguiar, who said the 4×100 is the event he struggles with most in terms of confidence.
“The handoff can make or break the race,” he said. “But it helps to have guys who believe in you.”
Von Ranson, the first-year, said the team felt something special brewing even before the meet.
“We knew what we were capable of,” he said. “Seeing we were nationally ranked definitely puts going to nationals in our brains and sets it as the standard.”
Thomas, who anchored the race, said they only had two practices together beforehand—but they came in with one goal: execute.
“We approached it with one goal in mind: Just get the stick around the track and we’d get the record,” Thomas said. “And we did.”
Anchoring a record-breaking relay comes with pressure, but Thomas said it’s pressure he thrives on.
“I trust my guys to do their jobs, and I get to close it out,” he said. “It’s honestly the easiest part when you’ve got teammates like mine.”
The chemistry between them did not come out of nowhere. This same group won the 4×200 during the indoor season at the Little East Conference Championships. All year, they have trained together, competed together and grown together.
“We’re four fast guys who trust each other,” Thomas said. “I know they’ll get the baton to me fast, and they know that if I have to walk someone down, I will.”
As they look ahead, the group already has its eyes on more history. The 4×400 record is now in its sights.
“I think we can improve on that time, especially myself,” said DeAguiar, pointing to the success they have had in that event during the indoor season.
While the team is hungry for more, the 42.37-second run will be remembered as a milestone—one that connects the present to the legacy of the 1975 team, and maybe sets the tone for another 50 years of Keene State excellence.
“The end goal is just to keep PRing,” Law said. “Try to qualify for the big national meets and just keep improving.”
Elías Stowell Alemán can be contacted at
estowellaleman@kscequinox.com
