Drew Patterson won the high jump, long jump, and was part of the winning 4x100 on Saturday. Photo by Matt Dilyard.

First-year Drew Patterson's three wins headlined The College of Wooster track and field team's outdoor debut, which took place at the Wooster Tri-Meet on a picture-perfect Saturday.

Patterson's outdoor career started with the winning clearance of 5 feet, 3 inches in the high jump, and she added a first-place finish in the long jump, thanks to a mark of 15 feet, 11.5 inches. The intended neuroscience major kept the hot streak rolling once the track events started, as she teamed up with junior Claudia Partridge, junior Saralee Renick, and first-year Mary Sirois for the 4x100, with Wooster's 53.21 just edging out Denison University's 53.75.

Wooster's field crew had an all-around solid opening outdoor meet, especially in the pole vault. There, first-year Dylan Garretson kept his unbeaten streak intact, with the rookie taking first-place for the third time in as many meets. The intended music education major cleared 13 feet, 0.25 inch on Saturday. On the women's side, junior Morgan Kromer had the top mark of 10 feet, 6 inches, with that marking her best showing since clearing that exact height at the Kenyon College Tri-Meet during the 2020 indoor season.

First-year Zachary Galdo, who was unopposed, opened his collegiate career with a javelin throw of 91 feet, while sophomore Nate Andrews topped out at 5 feet, 11.5 inches en route to winning the men's high jump. Junior Richie Pajak backed Andrews up in the high jump with the runner-up clearance of 5 feet, 10.5 inches.

First-year Duncan Hardy opened the track events with the winning time of 11:27.76 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, while classmate Mary Sirois' 1:14.45 in the 400-meter hurdles was the top time on the afternoon. The Scots nearly had a spectacular come-from-behind finish to cap the meet, but first-year Athena Tharenos' bid to chase down Allegheny College's Eva Martino in the 4x400 anchor leg came up just short. Martino crossed at the 4:27.10 mark, while Tharenos came in at 4:27.52. Partridge, Patterson, and first-year Issy Tallent comprised the first three legs of the relay.

Other runner-up finishes on Saturday included junior Nick Scherson, sophomore Joe Shilts, first-year Kyle Stringer, and sophomore Craig Akiri in the 4x100 relay (44.98), Shilts, Akiri, Stringer, and Scherson in the 4x400 relay (3:38.87), Partridge in the high jump (5 feet, 1.75 inches), Scherson in the 400 meters (52.19), Shilts in the 400-meter hurdles (59.41), and Tharenos in the 800 meters (2:24.10).

Denison won the meet with 131 points in both the men's and women's standings. Allegheny was the runner-up with 111 men's points and 120 women's points. Wooster had 90 and 91 points on the men's and women's side, respectively.

Next, Wooster's at the Denison Quad Meet on Friday, April 2.