Over the past several weeks, the University of Detroit Mercy Department of Athletics has been releasing its All-Decade Teams of the 2010s and are in the final week with three teams left. For a full schedule of the teams set to be released, click here.
DETROIT (5/20/2020) -- The University of Detroit Mercy Department of Athletics is unveiling its All-Decade Teams of the 2010s, compiling the best student-athletes across the past 10 seasons (2010-19) into a First and Second Team in each intercollegiate sport. Next up is a program that captured many Horizon League individual titles during the decade in Detroit Mercy men's outdoor track and field.
The Titans had five top-five finishes at the Horizon League outdoor championships during the decade, including a third-place finish in 2014, when Detroit Mercy earned a decade-best 105 points. Detroit Mercy picked up eight individual Horizon League titles at the league's outdoor track and field championships during the 10 years (2010-19).
Two Titans earned the Horizon League Outdoor Athlete of the Year distinction for their performances during the outdoor season in Colin Cashner in 2015 and
Ben Kendell in 2019. Brandon Wilks also received the 2014 Horizon League Running Newcomer of the Year laurel.
The Titans won the 100-meter dash in four of six years near the start of the decade, spanning from 2009 to 2014. Cleary captured back-to-back 100m titles in 2009 and 2010 before Vushaun Landrum won the third-straight season in 2011 in a time of 10.63. Brandon Wilks then won for the Titans in the 100m in 2014 in 10.70 seconds. Lesley Hanna was also a champion in the 400-meter dash in 2011 in 47.28.
Ben Kendell was a two-time HL outdoor champion -- winning the 10,000-meter run (31:44.78) during his freshman season in 2015 and then capturing the 5,000-meter run with a Horizon League-record time of 14:23.94 during his final season in the red, white and blue in 2019. Coupled with his indoor titles, he finished with four in all during his Detroit Mercy career.
Khalil Parris was a Horizon League champion in the 400-meter hurdles, winning with a time of 53.64 in 2016. The Titans also captured the 4x400 meter relay during the 2016 season with the squad of Zach Arnold, Carlton Sims, Anton Webster and Parris finishing with a time of 3:15.02, the fastest time in the HL at the outdoor league meet in the past six seasons.
The Titans had five individuals compete multiple times at the NCAA East Preliminary Round during the decade, including Lesley Hanna (2010, 2011) Eric Lewis (2012, 2014), Colin Cashner (2014, 2015, 2016), Khalil Parris (2015, 2016) and
Ben Kendell (2018, 2019). In all, the Titans competed 11 times at the NCAA Preliminary Round during the 10 years.
Hanna placed 32nd in the 400-meter dash in 2011 in a time of 48.32 and the previous year was 45th with a time of 48.07. Lewis and Cashner both competed in the hammer throw for the Titans at the Preliminary Round with Lewis' best mark coming his senior season with a toss of 60.88 meters (199-9), which was good for 24th place. Cashner, who smashed an 18-year old Penn Relays record in the hammer throw in 2015 with a toss of 65.84m (216-0) improved each year at the NCAA Preliminary Round going from 33rd place to 16th to 13th in his final season. His throw of 65.16 meters (213-9) just missed out on qualifying for the NCAA Championships in 2016 by one spot.
Parris also competed alongside Cashner at the NCAA East Preliminary Round in two seasons (2015, 2016) in the 400-meter hurdles. He was 25th in 2015 with a time of 52.07, before placing 19th the next season in 2016 with a time of 52.00. Parris was then crowned a national champion, winning the 400m hurdles with a time of 51.49 at the Canadian Championships and Olympic trials ahead of the 2016 Summer games. Parris and Cashner both competed in the Olympic trials during the summer of 2016.
Kendell went to the East Preliminary Round in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019, running the 10,000 meters for the Titans both years. He placed 20th in 2018 with a time of 30:06.40 and was 21st the next season in 2019 with a time of 30:06.86. He earned numerous accolades during his final season with the red, white and blue, including earning the President's Award, the Horizon League's Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor and was named Scholar-Athlete of the Season for a Horizon League-record sixth time following his final track and field season.
Kendell was named a Third Team Academic All-American in 2017 for his combined performances in cross country and track and field. He was USTFCCCA All-Academic for a Detroit Mercy-record four times across his career and was three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District (2017-19). Three Titans also were honored with the President's Award honor during the decade -- Pat Liederbach (2011), Aviram Campbell (2012) and Kendell (2019).
All-League honors, award winners, standout and record-breaking performances, academic achievements and accolades as well as submissions from fans were all considered for each of the Detroit Mercy All-Decade Teams of the 2010s.
Detroit Mercy Men's Outdoor Track & Field All-Decade Team of 2010s
First Team
