Western Carolina Competes at the Beynon Sports Catamount Classic
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina Track and Field completed day one of the Beynon Sports Catamount Classic at the Catamount Athletic Complex.
Alisha Bradshaw took first place in the women’s discus throw with a throw of 45.2m. Her teammates Jasmin Brown (32.32m) and Kim Cannon (32.28m) placed ninth and tenth.
In men’s javelin throw, Jordan Orr placed third with a throw of 49.75m. In fourth was Andy Benesh with a throw of 46.03m, while Matt Stenger came in sixth with a throw of 44.14m.
Brittany Powell also took a first place title in the women’s triple jump with a distance of 11.73m. Aschsah Brice took second (11.58m) and Kendra Douglas finished fifth (11.33m).
Tyler Bell (13.55m) and Tyler Bentley (13.39m) finished third and fourth in the men’s triple jump.
Artis Gilmore of Lenoir- Rhyne broke the Beynon Sports Catamount Classic record in the men’s triple jump with a distance of 48-3.5in. The previous record of 47-1.25in was set by Edward Manning in 2012.
Day two of the event will resume tomorrow with the men’s decathlon beginning at 10 a.m. Running events will start at 11:30 a.m. with the women’s 1500m run.
CULLOWHEE N.C. — Competition in the Beynon Sports Catamount Classic concluded Saturday at the Catamount Athletic Complex with the Western Carolina Track and Field teams dominating the podium in day two. WCU’s men and women combined for 52 top-three finishes on the final day including tallying 21 first-place finishes.
WCU’s women tallied 329 total points, including 28 podium finishes in the scored team event to win by a total of 258 points, as second-place USC-Upstate recorded just 71 points. In the men’s competition, the Catamounts also won going away with 307 points ahead of second-place Lenoir-Rhyne with 66. WCU’s men had 24 podium finishes.
All told, representatives of 20 schools around the region were on hand with 16 schools competing in the scored portion of the meet.
In the 100-meter dash, Olympian and WCU Track and Field Alumni, Manteo Mitchell, competed unattached and took the first place title with a time of 10.53. WCU’s Ron Duncan placed second with a time of 10.77, while Max Burke came in fourth with a time of 11.04. Tayla Carter took first for the women with a time of 11.67, while Kiannari Badger (12.36) and Janise Robinson (12.41) took fifth and sixth, respectively.
Mitchell also claimed the 200-meter dash with a time of 20.85, edging current spring standouts Brandon Hairston (21.40) and Demari Boswell (21.79) in second and fourth-place. In the women’s competition, Carter tripped the tape first with a time of 23.93 and Brittany Diggs finished third with a time 25.09.
Reigning SoCon Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week, Jocelyn Keen, had another great performance on Saturday, winning the women’s 800-meter run with a time of 2:09.92. Hayley Tomlinson (2:10.68) and Lena Elliot (2:12.77) finished third and fourth. For the men, Jamie Bidby (1:56.52), Garrett (1:57.87), Nolan Clark (1:58.29), and Kaleel Barton (1:58.32) dominated fifth through eighth.
Mara Smith was the first to cross the line in the women’s 1500-meter run with a time of 4:43.63, while Clark also took first on the men’s side with a time of 3:58.92. Garrett West (4:02.27) and Michael Cornwell (4:02.70) took second and third for a Catamount one-two-three finish.
In the women’s 100 meter hurdles, Xaviera Bass (15.21) and Shermell Wilkins (15.27) finished second and third, respectively, while Brittany Diggs placed fifth with a time of 15.89. For the men, Abraham Faison (14.64), Tyler Bentley (14.86) and Marquis Bailey (15.27) finished third through fifth in the men’s 110-meter hurdles.
WCU also saw success in both the men’s and women’s 400 meter hurdles. Sam Lusty captured a first place finish with a time of 55.68, while teammates Marquis Bailey (55.78) and Faison (56.88) took third and fourth. It was Michaela Birek who brought home the win on the women’s side as she ran for a time of 1:04.29. Achsah Brice (1:04.74) came in second, Shermell Wilkins (1:07.49) finished fourth and Anne Greer (1:08.72) took the fifth position.
Aleshia Reese took first place as the only Catamount in the women’s steeplechase with at time of 11:32.67.
Aaron Tribble was number one in the men’s 400 meter dash, finishing with a time of 47.99. Teammates Hairston (48.21) and Earl Rahming (48.89) finished second and fourth, respectively. On the women’s side, Genevieve Emrick placed second with at time of 57.05, while Kendra Douglas took fourth with a time of 59.03.
Both the men’s (41.13) and women’s (47.35) WCU ‘A’ relay teams brought home a first place finish in the 4 x 100 meter relay, while the men also won the 4 x 400 meter relay with a time of 3:18.54. The WCU ‘B’ relay team for the women finished third in the 4x1 (48.07) and second in the 4x4 (3:53.37). WCU ‘C’ relay team for the men placed fourth in the 4x1 with a time of 42.57.
Birek claimed first place in the women’s heptathlon after two solid days of performance that ended with 4,435 points, while Greer finished second with 4,067 points. On the men’s side, Dustin Triplett won with 5604 points, Lusty followed in second with 5,564 points, Christian Carswell finished third with 5,101 points, and Kyle Bernier placed fourth with 5,048 points.
In the women’s pole vault, Cara June Elyea and Devyn Ressler went one and two with a vault of 3.65 and Ashley Wala third with a jump of 3.50m. Keith Leonard (4.70m) and Dustin Triplett (4.55m) finished first and second.
In the jumping events for WCU, Jordan Orr claimed first place in the men’s high jump with a jump of 1.99-meters, while Bob McNeil finished fourth with a jump of 1.89m. Xaviera Bass came in third for the women with a jump of 1.57m. Brittany Powell finished fifth in women’s long jump with a distance of 4.92m, as well as Abraham Faison for the men with a jump of 6.54m.
Jared Johnson took second in the men’s shot put with a throw of 14.57m. Teammate Jonathan Newton finished fifth with a throw of 12.98m. In women’s shot put, Alisha Bradshaw won with a throw of 13.21m, while Megan Withers (12.18m) and Jasmin Brown (12.03m) placed third and fourth.
In the men’s hammer throw Andy Benesh (46.00m), Jared Johnson (44.43m), and Joe Korac (44.34m) finished third, fourth, and fifth for the Catamounts.
Western Carolina returns to action March 29-30, teaming with one of its top rivals in the Southern Conference. WCU and Appalachian State will join forces to defend the Western part of the state as they compete in the “Mountains vs. Beaches” meet in Boone, N.C., against the team of UNC Wilmington and East Carolina.
Georgia Southern Competes in Rain-Shortened FSU Relays
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Inclement weather and lightning put an early end to the FSU Relays as the Georgia Southern Track and Field team returns to campus after competing in only three events of its eight events on the second day. After several hours of delays, the meet was halted midway through the schedule.
The only running event the Eagles participated in was the 200m Dash, the first collegiate event of the day. Freshman Alyssa Felton and senior Ebony Carter posted top-20 finishes at 17th and 18th, respectively.
Freshmen Ashleigh Rasheed and Taylor Johnson both competed in the Triple Jump after long delays Saturday morning pushed the event schedule back by several hours. Both finished in the top 15, but will look to improve their distances in their next competition. Rasheed joined classmate Keyanna Harris in the High Jump event where Harris tied for third at 1.53m (5’0.25”) and Rasheed tied for sixth overall at 1.48m (4’10.25”).
The Eagles will head to Florida for the next two weekends for competition for North Florida Invitational Friday-Saturday, March 29-30 and the Pepsi Florida Relays April 5-6. Georgia Southern plays host to the Southern Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Statesboro April 20-21.
College of Charleston Records Fall at Weems Baskin Invitational
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Junior Christine Klinar broke her own school record in the javelin throw as the College of Charleston women’s track & field team competed this weekend in the Weems Baskin Invitational, hosted by South Carolina.
Klinar finished second in the javelin throw competition with a throw of 40.86 meters (134 feet). Teammate and freshman Ciera Holston also competed well in the event as she finished fourth with a throw of 35.67 meters (117 feet).
Sophomore Hayley McMahon finished in fourth-place in the 800-meter run as she crossed the finish line in 2:15.76, the 11th best time in school history.
Danielle Sams and Trish Rein ran well in their events, setting career-bests, as Sams finished 13th in the 1,500-meter run in 5:05.35 and Rein finished sixth in the 5,000-meter run in 18:56.51.
In the field events the Cougars had a pair of athletes finish in the top-10 in their events. Freshman Roshani Glover was the runner-up in the triple jump as she leaped 11.40 meters, the eighth best mark in school history. Sophomore Tiffany Sisk finished fourth in the shot put with a throw of 13.09 meters.
Members of the men’s cross country team also competed with some great results in mid-distance and distance events. Sophomore Mackenzie Johnson ran the third fastest time in school history in the 5,000-meter run as she finished second-place in 15:19.00. Johnson came back the next day to finish second-place in the 800-meter run and set a school record in 1:57.51.
Daniel Lenahan and Tyler Wood set career-bests in the 5,000-meter run in 16:47.05 and 17:06.46 respectively. For Lenahan it was 21 seconds better than his previous best and 14 seconds better for Wood.
Next weekend the Cougars will compete at the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, N.C., March 29-30.
Andrew Lantz Shatters 37-Year-Old Davidson Mile Record at VertKlasse Meeting
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Davidson junior Andrew Lantz completed the mile run in 4 minutes, 8.50 seconds to set a new outdoor school record in the event and lead the men’s track and field team at the VertKlasse Meeting hosted by High Point in Vert Stadium.
Lantz came up just short of victory in the race, finishing second to UNCG’s Paul Chelimo by .44 seconds.
It marked the first time in recent memory that Davidson ran the mile outdoors, as the 1500-meter run is now typically contested. Lantz’s mile time converts to a 3:50.10 in the 1500m to rank fourth all-time at Davidson. The previous record in the mile was 4:16.6, set by Doug Horn in 1976.
In another strong performance, senior Vincent Weir neared the school record in the 3000-meter steeplechase, placing fifth in 9:19.09 to come within five seconds of the record
Senior Wes Reynolds paced Davidson in the 5000-meter run in 15:23.85, while sophomore Wesley Laytham completed the 800m in 1:57.74.
Freshman Charles Rappe took sixth in the 400-meter hurdles in 55.71 seconds. Junior Nate Faubion completed the 400-meter dash in 51.91, while freshman Xzavier Killings completed the 200-meter dash in 23.13 seconds, and also competed in the high jump, clearing 6 feet (1.83m). In other field event action, Stewart Dalton leapt 20-10 3?4 (6.37m) in the long jump and junior Michael Lorentsen cleared 13-11 (4.24m) in the pole vault.
Davidson will be represented in three different meets next week. Senior Demetrios Pagonis will compete in the Stanford Invitational while select members will compete at the Winthrop Invitational and Raleigh Relays.
Samford Breaks 23-Year-Old Relay Record at Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A lengthy lightning delay followed by persistent rain forced an early end to the Alabama Relays, but not before Samford would break a 23-year-old school record in the men’s distance medley relay.
The team of Adam Jones, Jonathon Bush, Brandon Hazouri and Layton Dorsett finished fifth in Saturday’s race in 9:57.99, which breaks the old school record of 9:58.03 set in 1990. All four members of Saturday’s squad were not even born yet when the previous record was set.
Ashley Cope earned a new PR in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, finishing third in 14.13. The time moves her to third on Samford’s all-time performance list. Julie McDonald (14th, 14.77) and Christian McGuire (20th, 15.06) also competed in the event Saturday.
Emily Allen, competing unattached, finished fifth in the women’s hammer throw (181-3, 55.26m) with teammates Shelby Builta (148-6, 45.27m) and Katelyn Poole (143-5, 43.72m) in 18th and 19th, respectively. Poole’s mark is also a new personal best for the sophomore.
Shelby Builta finished ninth in the women’s discus (136-8, 41.65m) while Bo-Ackerson Gilroy competed in both the men’s discus (26th, 132-1, 40.27m) and the 110-meter hurdles (22nd, 15.22).
Multiple other Bulldogs were set to compete, but a 90 minute rain delay shortly before 7 p.m. and continuing inclement weather after 9 p.m. forced the majority of Saturday’s events to be canceled.
Next weekend, Samford heads east to Raleigh, N.C., and the campus of NC State for the Raleigh Relays. Two days of competition begins on Friday, March 29 and continues through Saturday, March 30.