On Feb. 16-17, nearly 700 college athletes representing 24 colleges and universities competed in the New England Division III Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championships at Bates College’s Slovenski Track.

The pentathlon on Feb. 16 pitted 20 scholar-athletes against each other in five events: 55-meter hurdles, shotput, long jump, high jump and the 1,000-meter run.

Another 680 young men arrived Saturday to compete in 13 different races and six field events. Between the open ceremony at 11 a.m., and the final scoring announcements over six hours later, there was continual competition with two or three events often occurring simultaneously.

In a heartwarming show of good sportsmanship, I saw competitors from rival teams congratulating each other on good performances and commiserating on lesser showings. I watched these athletes push themselves to their physical and emotional limits, but not once did I observe a single instance of ill-will, malice or poor sportsmanship, let alone the crowd-pleasing melees or temper tantrums of “professional” sports.

I applaud each and every one of these athletes and suggest the Sun Journal devote at least some space reporting their achievements. I, for one, am more uplifted by these stories than I am by learning about someone slipping in the locker-room shower.

David Chittim, Lewiston