Franklin men's track and field kicked off the outdoor season at the Rose-Hulman Early Bird Invite.

Starting the day strong, freshman Joe Johnson won the javelin with a toss of 51.03 meters (167 feet, 5 inches), placing him seventh in school history.

In the 5,000 meters, three Grizzlies placed in the top eight. Senior Jonah Decker (16:00.04) came in first, followed by senior Sam Wilson (16:02.61) in second.  Fellow senior Riley Devening (16:15.45) rounded out the trio. Sophomore William Hirsch ran a solid opening mark in the 1,500 meters (4:11.85) to take sixth place. Rounding out the top eight, junior Nathan Furnish ran to a new personal best (4:16.26).

Rounding out the distance, Furnish decided one PR wasn't enough, so he did it again in the 800 meters. His time of 2:04.19 placed him eighth.

Onto the sprints, where sophomore Brayden Wilkins finished third in the 100-meter dash (11.07). Frosh Myles Baker, making his outdoor debut, placed sixth (11.23).

The 400-meter crew showed out, placing five runners in the top eight. Khalid Amadou (49.17) headed the squad in second. That mark puts him second in school history. Junior Steven Scott followed in third (50.02). The last three spots were rounded out by three freshmen. Austin Menefee (50.44) claimed fourth and moved into 10th on the school's all-time list, while seventh and eighth were snagged by Christian Powell (52.12) and Blake Hughes (52.60).

Capping off a thrilling meet for sprints, the 4x400 relay consisting of Amadou, Scott, Menefee and Hughes finished first (3:23.56), solidifying themselves in the fifth spot in school history.

In the throws, frosh Teagun Rominger got the afternoon started by placing fourth in the shot put with a toss of 13.87 meters (45-6.25). That mark is a new personal best and puts Rominger eighth all-time in school history.

Sophomore Garek Ellis had himself a day in the weight throw, tossing a massive seven-meter PR of 44.65 meters (146-6). That was good for him to take eighth place in a strong field.

Franklin will be back in action at the Hanover Invitational this coming Saturday (March 28).