FAIRFAX, Va. – Gavin Jenkins earned one of the NCAA’s top times in the NCAA East Region in the men’s steeplechase and women’s sprinter Ariana Ruffin’s times in the 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash highlighted VMI’s performances Sunday at the Mason Spring Invitational in Fairfax, Virginia.

Jenkins won the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:59.54, which is the 17^th-best mark for the event in the NCAA East Region so far this outdoor season. Teammate Walt Kitson placed fourth overall in 9:52.86.

Ruffin ran a 24.67 in the women’s 200-meter to place third overall and a 57.41 in the 400-meter to place eighth in the event.
Junior Jordin Poindexter shined in the men’s 100-meter by placing second overall in 10.77 seconds, which is currently the top time in the Southern Conference for the event.

The men’s 800-meter group of Trent Whittaker, Zach Lauster and Dylan Haines earned top-20 marks for the event, including Whittaker’s time of 1:52.09 for seventh place. Lauster came in 12th in 1:54.11 and Haines placed 20th overall in 1:55.81.

In the women’s 200, junior Ahliyah Williams placed ninth in 25.36 seconds and sophomore Marissa Linkous came in 11th overall in 25.51. Junior Autumn Parson arrived in 13th overall in 25.75 seconds.

In the women’s 400, Linkous also competed well with a time of 58.16 seconds for ninth place and Williams placed 11th in 58.52 seconds for 11th place.

Johnnie Walker came up big for the VMI men in the men’s 400-meter as he earned a third-place mark of 49.15 seconds.

Solomon Ghosh and Andrew Granger highlighted the men’s field events as Ghosh came in sixth in the discus throw with a mark of 46.84 meters (153’8”) and eighth in the shot put at 13.76 meters (45’1.75”). Granger came in eighth overall in the hammer throw with a distance of 51.74 meters.

Senior Sarah Leckman earned a third-place distance of 13.29 meters in the women’s shot put to highlight the VMI women’s field events.

Freshman Keyandre Midgett placed seventh in the men’s 100-meter hurdles in 15.33 seconds. Junior Max Burke came in seventh in the men’s long jump at 6.37 meters and Jayden Napier arrived in ninth overall at 6.25 meters.

The Keydets next compete Saturday at the JMU Invitational in Harrisonburg, Virginia.