“We were not surprised; we expected to win,” senior co-captain Joe Otto said. “We’re not cocky, but we are confident whenever we enter a meet that we will win. We scare other teams, and tend to be rather intimidating.”

And other teams should be frightened, especially when the Engineers post 46 personal best times or distances in the various events across the meet, including two first place finishes and six second place finishes.

Trevor Tersmette, who was named Field Athlete of the Year, led RPI, placing in all five events, and posted four personal bests. The senior co-captain from Barneveld, N.Y., won the pentathlon with a school record 3618 points, took second in the high jump, fourth in the 55-meter hurdles, fifth in the long jump, and helped the 4x400 relay team take second.

“Trevor winning the pentathlon really fired us up,” Tory said of his senior snagging the grueling event five days prior to the championship meet. Tersmette’s win started Rensselaer with 11 points entering the meet. “It certainly set us up well,” Tory continued, “It got the ball rolling before the meet even started.”

Once the meet did start, the rest of the Engineers picked up right where Tersmette left off. Sophomore Kemar Brown, who was named Liberty League Track Performer of the Week, took second in the 55-meter dash with an NCAA Provisional qualifying time of 6.59 seconds. Brown also took sixth in the 200-meter sprint and was a member of the second place 4x200 relay squad. Joe Otto was solid again for Rensselaer, winning the 800-meter race and contributing to a third place finish by the 4x800 relay squad.

Other strong finishers included freshman Deji Akindele-Alo, who took second in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.95 seconds, and freshman Ben Nagler who took second in the 500-meter race. Sophomore Paul Legac finished in fourth place in the 500-meter run and second place with the 4x400 relay team, Owen Kellet grabbed points in three events, and Vinny Hood and Justin Schievelbein each received points in two events.

Tory was particularly impressed with the way the freshmen and sophomores emerged at crucial times for the Engineers. Without their performances, Rensselaer surely would not have garnered another state title.

“This was a full team effort of people having a great two days,” said Tory, who was named Coach of the Year. “You are not going to win the meets with first places, but by picking up points in the fourth, fifth, and six spots. That’s what wins meets, and our freshmen and sophomores really stepped up and did just that.”

Tory went on to point out that the meet really did come down to fractions of seconds and inches, and praised his team for staying focused over the lengthy weekend.

RPI locked up the title after Brandon O’Toole, Jason Legault, and Jason Langley finished second, third, and fifth in the pole vault. Tory, however, in an effort to keep his team focused, tried to keep the victory quiet until after the relays.

It didn’t work. According to senior co-captain Kellet, most of the team knew they had clinched the meet prior to the final relays, but that didn’t stop RPI from still taking second and setting a school record in the 4x200, winning second in the 4x400, and placing third in the 4x800.

The state championship certainly builds team confidence for Rensselaer as they prepare for the spring season in April. The Engineers have won the state title three straight years in the outdoor season, and have an excellent chance to do it again since the spring adds events RPI is particularly strong in. The javelin, steeplechase, and hammer throw are all events that Rensselaer excels in, and All-American Jimmy Motzkin is returning in the javelin.

The win will aid in the ongoing recruiting process as Tory continues to try to add talent and maintain the Engineers’ championship pose.

“This is great motivation for us heading into the spring,” Tory said. “It adds confidence and shows recruits what type of team they can be a part of.”