ROCHESTER, NY – Junior Jackson Bliey (Talleyville, Del.) cleared 2.17m to captured his first indoor national championship in the high jump, as the MIT men's track & field team finished seventh in the overall team standings at the 2025 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships on Saturday at the Golisano Training Center.
Bliey and senior Ziyad Hassan (Ashburn, Va.) each earned All-America honors for MIT, with Hassan placing third in the mile. MIT scored 22 points in the meet finishing with the best result for MIT at indoor nationals since the team finished second in 2023.
THE BASICS:
- MIT Team Score: 7th of 65 (22 points)
- Top-Five Team Scores: 1. Wis.-La Crosse 84; 2. Wis.-Oshkosh 39; 3. Rowan 32; 4. Lynchburg 29; 5. Cortland St. 26
HOW IT HAPPENED - FIELD EVENTS:
- High Jump: Bliey cleared all five of his jumps on his first attempt and was the only competitor to clear at the 2.17m progression, just off his PR of 2.18m. With the national title in hand, Bliey took aim at the Division III national record but was unsuccessful at clearing 2.23m (7' 3 3/4). Sophomore Anthony Meng (Scottsdale, Ariz.) cleared 1.95m (6' 4 3/4") and 2.00m (6'6 3/4") on his first attempts. He needed two attempts at 2.05m (6'8 3/4") but he advanced to the next progression before failing to clear at 2.08m (6'9 3/4").
HOW IT HAPPENED - RUNNING EVENTS
Mile: Hassan was third in the Mile, finishing in 4:06.57 in a thrilling sprint to the finish on the home stretch, that saw Nicholas Lyndaker of St. Lawrence take the title in 4:06.45 and Jonathan Zavala of Brockport finish second in 4:06.48. MIT senior Pablo Arroyo (Richardson, Texas) set the pace early but finished just off the podium, taking ninth in 4:12.08.
3000m: Junior Tim Neumann (Downers Grove, Ill.) finished 11th in 8:21.71 and senior Sam Coutts (Pacific Grove, Calif.) was 19th in 8:40.38 in the 3000m.Â
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Bliey was last spring's national champion in the outdoor high jump and now holds both Division III men's high jump titles. He is a four-time All-American (2025 indoor, 2024 outdoor, 2023 indoor and outdoor).
- Meng was making his third overall NCAA championship appearance after finishing ninth in 2024 at indoor nationals and earning All-American honors in the fifth at last year's outdoor nationals.
- Hassan was making his fourth NCAA appearance but his first appearance in the mile. He is now a two-time All-American, having earned the honor in the DMR at indoor nationals in 2024.
NEXT UP:
- MIT will head outside in two weeks, opening the outdoor track & field season Thursday-Saturday, March 27-29 at the Raleigh Relays, hosted by NC State University in Raleigh, NC.
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