The Hope College men's indoor track & field team opened the season with one school record, three first-place performances, and a winning score of 165 points at the Aquinas Quad on Friday in Grand Rapids.

Junior Chase Gaca of Kingsley, Michigan (Kingsley HS) won the weight throw with an indoor school-record toss of 15.04 meters (49 feet, 4 ½ inches).

Gaca surpassed Chad Rector's 2007 mark of 14.32 meters (46-11 3/4).

Seniors Benjamin Pederson of Mount Prospect, Illinois (Mount Prospect) and Jacob Jansen of Johnston, Iowa (Johnston) went 1-2 in the 3,000 meters with times of 9:15.98 and 9:20.44, respectively.

Sophomore Jonah Engelhardt of Cincinnati, Ohio (Wyoming) took first in the 1-mile run by clocking a time of 4 minutes, 46.64 seconds

Hope placed second in six events.

Junior Justin Freeman of Holland, Michigan (West Ottawa) and freshman Emmanuel Harinda of Holland, Michigan (Holland) finished second and third in the 60-meter dash by posting times of 7.10 and 7.13 seconds, respectively.

Senior Brandon Wolliston of Remus, Michigan (Chippewa Hills) came in second in the 400 meters with a run of 50.75 seconds.

Sophomore Brenden Jones of Holland, Michigan (Black River) and freshman Zackary Murphy of Coldwater, Michigan (Coldwater) came in second and third in the 800 meters by clocking times of 2.03.13 and 2:04.17, respectively.

The 4x400 relay of freshman Terrell Solberg of Traverse City, Michigan (Central), Wolliston, Murphy, and Jones was runner-up with a time of 3:33.17.

In field events, senior William Henkel of Lambertville, Michigan (Erie-Mason) finished runner-up in the high jump by clearing 1.85 meters (6 feet, 00.75 inches).

Juniors Tucker Gibbons of Fowlerville, Michigan (Fowlerville) and Louis Kopp of Spring, Texas (Providence Classical) took second and third in the triple jump with leaps of 12.93 meters (45-5 ¼) and 12.17 meters (39-11 ¼), respectively.

Hope finished ahead of Aquinas (133), Spring Arbor (129), and Alma (121).