Back in June, junior track and field athlete Vincent Rentzsch travelled to Eugene, Ore., as the lone Retriever, to compete in the NCAA Championships in the javelin throw. Rentzsch qualified after an impressive 2014-2015 season.
Earlier in the year, Rentzsch set the school record for the javelin throw with a throw of 71.21 meters. This was an indicator of great things to come for him as he would go on to win the event at the conference championship and also place second at the Eastern College Athletic Conference meet.
Rentzsch’s accomplishments earned him a spot at the NCAA East Preliminaries along with a trio of other Retrievers in Jacksonville, Fla. Joining him were seniors Mercedes Jackson and Paulette Fogle, as well as fellow junior Hassan Omar.
Fogle competed in the 400 meter hurdles, placing fourth in her heat, but 29th overall. Omar competed in the 5,000 meter run, finishing 15th in his heat and 29th overall.
Rentzsch, competing in the javelin throw, threw for 69.18 meters. The toss placed him in sixth place overall, which is exactly what he needed to qualify and compete in the NCAA Championships.
During the championship, Rentzsch ultimately failed to put in the numbers he had been all season long. His first throw went for 60.38 meters, while his best toss came on his second throw, going for 64.71 meters. Rentzsch finished the competition in 21st place.
Winning the javelin throw was University of Oregon senior Sam Crouser, who threw for 79.19 meters on his best toss. The University of Oregon also came in first place overall for both men and women.
After the competition, Rentzsch was named a USTFCCCA Honorable Mention All-American for all his accomplishments in 2015.
In addition to Rentzsch’s impressive season on the field, several members of the track and field team impressed in the classroom. Five members of the team earned America-East All-Academic team.
For the men, the selections included Omar, senior Eric Schuler and sophomore Jon Luckin. Fogle and sophomore Sophia Cologer were named to the women’s squad. All five athletes had a grade point average of at least 3.5.