Fairfax, Va. – In a thrilling and hard-fought competition, the George Mason University men's track and field team captured the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championship title, marking their first championship win since 2019.
The title came down to the final two events of the meet, with Mason holding a razor-thin 0.5-point lead over Rhode Island. With the pressure at its peak, the Patriots' 4x400m relay team—comprised of Jordan Tuck, Lance Koontz, Aidan Walcott, and Joziah Johnson—delivered a clutch first-place finish, extending Mason's lead and setting the stage for victory. The championship was officially sealed in the final event, the decathlon 1500m, as Nick DeWolfe finished strong to push Mason ahead by 1.5 points over the Rams.
The squad delivered a dominant showing on day two of the meet, earning multiple gold medals. Champions included Geni Roberts, Jordan Tuck, Joziah Johnson, Lance Koontz, Aidan Walcott, Kailynn Tyson, Jalen Johnson, Ashton King, Max Karen, and Mason Samuels. On the podium with silver medals were Abby Weening and Mia Suero, while Mia Suero, Ay'rianna Moore, Sierra Matheson, Kailynn Tyson, Morgan Ryerson, Davian Burke, Jordynn Toliver, Cameron Portis, and Joshua Sutton all claimed bronze.
On the women's side, the Patriots fought valiantly to hold onto their lead, engaging in a back-and-forth battle with UMass for the title. Despite leading by a point late in the meet, strong UMass performances in the high jump and 4x800m relay ultimately tipped the scales. Mia Suero and Kailynn Tyson stood out with remarkable meets—each earning three medals apiece.
Geni Roberts was named the meet's "Most Outstanding Field Performer," claiming gold in both the long jump and triple jump while also breaking a meet record. He now advances to regionals, where he will continue to represent George Mason on the national stage.
Capping off the successful weekend, Head Coach Andrew Gerard and his staff were honored as the Atlantic 10 "Coaching Staff of the Year." The award recognizes the collective efforts of Tim Nickas, Tony Mihalich, Michelle Wallerstedt Hodge, Reynaldo Radlin, Ivan Chirinos, Susanna Sullivan, Cason Gardner, Bobby Kestyn, and Morgan Holmes, who played an instrumental role in securing the championship.
"It's been a stretch since our last team title on the men's side and - all credit to URI - they made us earn this one", said head coach
Andrew Gerard. "There is nothing like a team battle coming down to the last event. When you consider a margin of victory of 1.5 points, it is the product of so many little things, both on the day and throughout the year, that it really underlines that it takes *everyone* - student-athletes, coaches, trainers, academic support, strength and conditioning, sports psych, administrators, facilities folks, business office, the whole athletic department- being dedicated, committed and invested in our team success. "It takes a village" is never more true than in T&F and we're super happy to be able to bring another team title back to George Mason."
