After commencement, the graduating class leaves behind a lot: empty apartments, vacant classroom seats and an indelible mark on the campus’ history. For the men’s indoor track and field team, last year’s graduates also left behind a team with gaping holes that need filling.

The 2008 season, already three meets deep, will continue to be defined by how those missing pieces are replaced. So far, Head Coach Jim Nichols and the team have seen solid contributions from juniors, sophomores and freshmen alike, making up ground where it was lost.

From this year’s batch of freshmen, Kyle Devins has already emerged as a reliable contributor. A jumps specialist from Peru, N.Y., Devins was one of five Bombers to record a top-three finish in last weekend’s Army Open at West Point.

Devins placed second in the long jump at 6.36 meters and third in the triple jump at 13.21 meters. With those finishes, he has already secured a spot in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships in early March.

Nichols said he was excited to see a young talent making an immediate impact in collegiate competition.

“As a freshman,” Nichols said, “watching him make all the right adjustments so quickly [is] excellent.”

With 23 of the 45 members of the team in their first year at Ithaca, Nichols said the performances like Devins’ are bound to happen throughout the season.

“We have a lot of guys who are going to make an impact,” Nichols said. “There’s a lot of new guys here but a lot of high quality ones among them.”

Most of the new buzz and attention has been swirling around the freshmen, but some sophomores are also making solid early impressions.

Sophomore Krasimir Kehayov, a sprinter, spent his first year at Ithaca acclimating to American culture, away from his homeland of Bulgaria. After two semesters perfecting his English and his running form, he is ready to be a dependable force on the team in the 200- and 400-meter dash events.

With a sharp set of goals and a sense of community with his fellow runners, Kehayov said he has high hopes for this season.

“Specifically, I would really like to break 50 [seconds] in the 400[-meter dash],” he said. “I just really want to compete and be a part of this team.”

While junior runners are normally veterans of practice and are comfortable with a coaching staff they’ve worked with for two seasons already, this year’s team has an odd exception to the rule.

That exception is one of this year’s most promising athletes, hurdler Dustin James. In his first year with the team, but third at Ithaca, James is trying to reignite his high school competitiveness in his return to track.

In his hometown of nearby Newfield, N.Y., he said his weak and shallow team of 15 athletes never gave him the drive to push himself as far as he could go.

“I was a pretty big slacker then and even here at school,” James said. “But now I’m surrounded by a great team, and now I’m here to see what I can really do.”

So far the Bombers’ coaching staff, fellow hurdler and senior Brian Scardella and junior pentathlete Cory Petermann have pushed James to new heights.

Nichols has been impressed but said there is plenty of room to grow.

“He’s making some freshman mistakes, even as a junior,” Nichols said. “But he’s doing a great job and, right now, is our best active hurdler.”

While the cracks might not be completely sealed, strong strides have been made toward rebuilding last year’s strong foundation. While it is a herculean undertaking, the early returns on Devins, Kehayov and James indicate that this team is well on its way towards patching itself back together.