Youth leads the Bucs in day two of the ETSU Invitational
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The ETSU Track & Field program received a hefty boost from its underclassmen in the final day of the ETSU Invitational at the ETSU/MSHA Athletics Center on David E. Walker Track at Gentry Field. Four freshmen or sophomores posted four of ETSU’s seven top five finishes and secured nine of the 13 top finishes in their respective events.
The high point for the Buccaneers Saturday came in the Men’s Distance Medley Relay where the team of Angus Baldwin, Nathan Rivera, Ashton Wilson and Simeon Roberts won the event with a time of 10:16.84. Roberts also notched his second consecutive meet finishing in the top five in a solo running event as he was fourth in the men’s one-mile run.
Junior Patrick Taylor, Nick Horne and Jordan Scott nabbed the other three top five finishes on the men’s side for the Bucs as the trio concluded their events in fifth place.
Meanwhile on the women’s side, senior Ashley Kessler finished third in the pole vault, while freshman Kyra Atkins finished up in the same place in the 60m hurdles. Fellow freshman Kiana Davis earned her first collegiate top five as she finished fifth in the 60m dash with a time of 7.78.
After two consecutive weeks of action, the Buccaneers will take a week off from competition and will resume their season Jan. 29-30 when they travel to Winston Salem, N.C. for the Camel City Classic.
Adams and Buchalski win mile competitions at ETSU Invitational
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Freshman Ryan Adams and junior Allie Buchalski won the men’s and women’s miles, respectively, to lead the Paladin indoor track and field team Saturday in the final day of the ETSU Invitational in Johnson City, Tenn.
The Paladins placed five runners among the top six in the men’s mile, as Adams won the event with a time of 4:13.04 followed by junior Troy Reeder in second at 4:15.31. Sophomore Austin Sprague turned in a time of 4:16.25 for third place, and junior Tanner Hinkle and sophomore Aaron Templeton finished fifth (4:17.37) and sixth (4:19.84), respectively.
In the women’s mile, Furman placed three runners in the top six. Buchalski crossed the line in 5:01.45 for the win, while sophomore Becca Cooley was fourth with a time of 5:23.83. Junior Ann Sisson was sixth at 5:32.80. The women’s team only had one other competitor on Saturday, as sophomore Shannon Smith placed 28th with a distance of 15-3.25 in the long jump.
Furman will compete at the Vanderbilt Invitational January 29-30 in Nashville, Tenn.
Martin, Hoisington lead VMI on last day at Virginia Tech
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Avery Martin won the men's 800-meter run and the Keydets put three throwers in the top nine of the men's shot put, led by a victorious Joel Hoisington, to lead the VMI track and field efforts on the final day of the Virginia Tech Invitational, contested Saturday in Blacksburg, Va.
Martin was victorious in the 800, starting his indoor season with an individual event win for the first time in his career. He edged two runners from St. Augustine's to take the win in 1:52.87.
In the shot, meanwhile, Hoisington began his season with a winning toss of 15.87 meters (52'0 3/4"). Jordan White was fifth (15.45 M/50'8 1/4") and Grant Sanchez placed ninth, with a heave of 14.82 meters (48'7 1/2").
Other results for the VMI men included Brandon White finishing fifth in the 5K (15:44.38) and Aron Long placing ninth in the 200 (22.09).
The efforts for the VMI women on Saturday were headlined by freshman Tiffany Quick, who placed eighth in the shot. Quick stretched the tape to 12.02 meters (39'5 1/4").
VMI track and field will return to action Jan. 23, when the Keydets travel to the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio, to take part in the North Coast Invitational. Action is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
Catamounts compete at the ETSU Invitational
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Junior Hailey Cook led the Western Carolina men's and women's track & field teams with a pair of first place finishes at the ETSU Invitational. The Catamounts had a number of stellar performances and picked up eight event victories.
Cook won both the women's shot put and weight throw. She won the shot put with a toss of 14.93m (48-11.75) and took the weight throw with a distance of 16.91m (55-05.75).Freshman Simone Williams took second in the weight throw at 14.46m (47-05.25) while sophomore Alisha Blackmon came in seventh in the shot put after stopping the tape at 12.02m (39-05.25) and fifth in the weight throw at 13.54m (44-05.25).
Senior Jared Johnson won the men's weight throw with a distance of 17.96m (58-11.25) while junior Scott Peretin and sophomore Dakota Wright finished third and fourth, respectively. Peretin stopped the tape at 15.67m (51-05.00) while Wright turned in a toss of 15.65m (51-04.25). Sophomore Chase Stehling came in sixth at 14.91m (48-11.00).
Senior Tayla Carter topped the field in the women's 60m as she crossed the line in 7.51. Freshman Mia Little also advanced to the finals and finished sixth with a time of 7.83. Carter also qualified for the 200m finals but did not compete in the finals race. Freshman Bri Anna Adams came in third in the 200m with a finals run time of 25.45.
Sophomores Corey Ginley and Dustin Triplett took the top two spots in the men's pole vault. Ginley cleared 4.90m (16-00.75) to win the event while Triplett turned in a height of 4.75m (15-07.00).
Junior Anisia Starege took top honors in the women's high jump with a leap of 1.66m (5-05.25) while senior Holly Gaines, freshman Ashley Parker and freshman Hannah Carson finished sixth through eighth. Gaines and Parker cleared 1.56m (5-01.25) while Carson topped 1.51m (4-11.50).
Junior Tiffani Lewis came in first in the women's long jump with a leap of 5.65m (18-06.50) while junior Chenell Bryan took fourth after stopping the tape at 5.54m (18-02.25).
The women's 4x400 relay team bested the field by over five seconds with a blazing time of 3:52.03. Senior Corina Archie-McMillan, senior Holly Gaines, freshman Sally Woerner and Carter teamed up to top the podium.
The Catamounts will be back in action Jan. 29-30 at the Thundering Herd Invitational in Huntington, W.Va.
Wofford Track & Field Sets Six School Records at ETSU Invite
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Wofford men’s and women’s track & field teams combined to break six school records at the ETSU Invite, which took place Friday and Saturday at the ETSU/MSHA Athletics Center.
Freshman Alexandra Burgess highlighted the women’s records with her second-place finish in the long jump. Burgess leapt 5.63m to break the mark she set last month of 5.29m. She claimed second in the event by just .02m (3/4 on an inch) to Western Carolina’s Tiffani Lewis. Burgess also led Wofford with a school-record showing in the 60m dash, clocking in at 8.14 seconds.
Three other freshmen broke school records on the women’s side. In the sprints, Amber Lust ran a 9.35 in the 60m hurdles to earn 13th out of 55 competitors, while Laura Dean broke the school record in the 200m dash with a time of 26.47. On the field side, Alexandra King took seventh with a school-record toss of 12.29m.
Other top women’s performances included freshman Alexandra Forster running the 3000m in 11:20.14 to take second place. Freshman Rebeka Fadgyas ran in the same event and earned fifth. Sophomore Anya Bunao finished the mile in 5:28.53 to earn fourth place out of 46 runners.
On the men’s side, senior Alex Michaels, sophomore Ben Hensley, freshman Joe Harbacevich and freshman Cisco Ferre set a new school record in the distance medley relay. The Terrier foursome clocked in at 10:28.86 to beat the previous school record by 16 seconds. They finished fourth in the 10-team event.
Senior Tevin Johnson and junior James Hayworth were some of the Terrier highlights in the men’s field events. Johnson took top 10s in both the high jump and long jump, leaping 1.88m in the high jump and 6.80m in the long jump. Hayworth took ninth in the 23-man weight throw with a toss of 14.33m.
In the distance events, sophomore Ben Hensley took ninth place in his first competitive mile run. Hensley crossed the line in 4:42.18.
The Wofford men’s and women’s track and field teams are back in action next Sunday, January 24, at the UNCG Spartan Team Challenge.
Also in action: Samford and UNCG.