Catamount men and women take second at Appalachian Open
BOONE, N.C. - The Western Carolina men's and women's track & field teams took second at the opening meet of the season. The women finished second out of 10 teams at the Appalachian Open hosted by Appalachian State University while the men finished second of 11 teams. Host ASU won both the men's and women's titles.
The men's and women's teams combined for 37 top-five finishes on Saturday with eight event victories.
Junior Chenell Bryan took home the women's long jump title with a leap of 5.98m (19-07.50) while classmate Tiffani Lewis came in second with a distance of 5.85m (19-02.50).
On the men's side the Catamounts placed four within the top-five in the high jump led by freshman Draven Crist who won in his collegiate debut. Crist cleared the bar at 2.03m (6-08.00) to claim the win. Fellow freshman Tyrie Adams also cleared 2.03m but did it in more attempts which placed him second overall. Senior Christian Carswell and freshman Khali Jackson tied for fifth as they both cleared 1.93m (6-04.00).
Junior Kayla Williams led the WCU sprinters as she took the title in the 55m hurdles with a time of 8.24.
Senior Dustin Triplett soared in the pole vault to an event victory as he cleared 4.75m (15-07.00). Sophomore Thor Smith also cleared 4.75m but was relegated to third due to number of attempts. Sophomore Corey Ginley took fifth after topping the bar at 4.60m (15-01.00).
Senior Kaitlyn Shetler was the final women's individual to win an event as she took top honors in the 3,000m. She stopped the clock at 11:14.42 to beat out sophomore Katarina Ruehl who came in second at 11:29.13.
Sophomore Dakota Lamont was the final men's individual to claim a win as he took the title in the men's 400m. Lamont crossed the line in 49.41 while teammate Maurice Mason took third in his collegiate debut with a time of 50.57. Junior Max Burke took fifth after stopping the clock at 50.72.
The women's final win came in the 4x400m relay where the Catamounts took the top three slots. The winning team came across in 4:02.21 while the second team stopped the clock at 4:10.23 and the third place team had a time of 4:12.06.
The men won the 4x300m relay while also taking fourth. The top WCU team came across in 2:21.92 while the fourth place finishers stopped the clock in 2:25.72.
Junior Hailey Cook took second in the women's shot put with a toss of 14.76m (48-05.25) while junior Anisia Starege took second in the women's high jump after clearing the bar at 1.69m (5-06.50).
Freshman Liam Brooks came in second in the men's 3,000m with a time of 8:55.84 while senior Jermaine Lewis came in third in the 55m after crossing the line in 6.43.
Freshman Mia Little came in second in the women's 55m with a time of 7.19 while also placing fourth in the 200m after stopping the clock at 26.52. Bri Anna Adams tied for fifth in the 55m behind Little after posting a time of 7.32.
The men's 4x400m relay teams came in second and third with times of 3:27.26 and 3:40.08, respectively. The women's 4x300m relay team took second in their race with a time of 2:45.52.
The men placed three athletes in the top-four of the 800m led by freshman Caleb Albrecht who took second after crossing the line in 1:55.90. Freshman Justin Kenard took third at 1:56.48 while freshman Miles Greer came in fourth with a time of 1:55.86.
Senior Corina Archie-McMillan came in second in the women's 400m with a time of 57.49 while classmate Michaela Williams took third in the 800m after crossing the line in 2:24.38. The women's final top-fove finisher was freshman Christina Nikolaou who came in third in the 800m with a time of 2:26.34.
The men's final top-five finisher was freshman Jamie Brown who tied for fourth in the long jump with a distance of 6.90m (22-07.75).
The Catamounts will now return to training in preparation for the ETSU Opener on Jan. 9.
Indoor track season begins at UNCG Early Bird
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The UNCG Indoor Track season officially began Tuesday evening with the Spartans hosting their first of two home events. UNCG played host to six teams at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem at the UNCG Early Bird meet.
Highlights of the day on the women’s side were freshman Kathleen Mansure winning the 3,000 meter run by over a minute with a time of 10:25.59. Mansure is coming off a strong cross country season where she finished fourth at the Southern Conference Championships and was named SoCon Freshman of the Year.
In the one-mile run Eira Jensen placed second with a time of 5:41.97 while Katherine Link Katlyn Ayers were less than a second behind finishing third and fourth respectively.
On the men’s side, junior Jonathan Hodge just missed a sub-two minute 800-meter time crossing the line in 2:00.02 to finished third. Senior Dylan Belles edged South Carolina State’s Elijah Case with a 4:36.79 in the one-mile run to take home top honors. Additionally, the Spartans placed third, fourth, fifth and sixth in the race.
Furman was the only other Southern Conference team in attendance.
Wofford indoor track and field begins season
BOONE, N.C. – The Wofford College men's and women's indoor track and field teams began the 2015-16 season at the Appalachian Open on Friday and Saturday. Four new school records were set as the Terriers competed primarily with underclassmen in the meet.
On Friday evening, Alex King posted a throw of 12.23 meters in the women's weight throw and Gaston Hayworth went 14.35 meters in the men's weight throw. Omar Mingo had a distance of 13.35 meters in the men's triple jump. Freshman Alexandra Burgess set a new school record in the triple jump at 11.56 meters (37-11.25) and Kasey Widmyer went 11.00 meters, which also eclipsed the previous school record.
For the men on Saturday, Omar Mingo went 6.47 meters in the long jump, with Conrad Heinrich and John McDonald also competing in the event. In the 55 meter hurdles, Conrad Heinrich ran an 8.20 for sixth place and John McDonald was at 8.87. Jurdan Mossburg and Will Stutts both finished in the top seven of the mile. Matt Ransom was the top finisher for the Terriers in the 400 meters. In the 800 meters, Joe Harbacevich was fifth overall in 1:59.82, followed by Ben Hensley. Jonathan Rice was sixth in the 3000 meters at 9:48.78, with Dane Szalwinski and Cristian Widenhouse close behind. The Terriers completed the day with a fourth place finish in the 4x400 relay.
On Saturday for the women, Alexandra Burgess added a second school record with a distance of 5.29 meters (17-04.25) in the long jump. Freshman Amber Lust ran the 55 meter hurdles in 8.69, breaking the previous school record of 9.81 set in 2011. Taylor Hall threw 8.48 meters in the shot put. McLeod Dean was the top finisher in the 55 meters, while Rebeka Fadgyas took third place in the mile with a time of 5:55.10. Wofford had four runners in the 400 meters, led by McLeod Dean at 1:01.39. LeAndrea Combo led a group of four Terriers in the 800 meters. Olivia Head was the top finisher for Wofford in the 200 meters in 27.46, which bested the previous school record of 27.64 set last year. In the 3000 meters, Sarah Spiro was third overall with a time of 11:38.0. A fourth place finish in the 4x400 relay ended the day for the Terriers.
After the semester break, the teams will be back in action on January 15-16 at the ETSU Invitational in Johnson City, Tenn.