CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Defending women’s champion Samford boasts a 59-point lead and four-time defending men’s champion Western Carolina holds a four-point advantage after Saturday’s opening day of the Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Western Carolina’s Catamount Athletic Complex. Highlights included Western Carolina’s Makaila McIntyre and Samford’s Tally Wilson successfully defending 2019 titles, Cameron Ponder erasing a 33-year-old meet record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Samford’s Titus Moore setting a meet record in the preliminaries of the 110-meter hurdles.
Samford’s women totaled 87 points on day one of the meet, easily outdistancing second-place ETSU’s 28. The Bulldogs picked up three of the six individual titles awarded Saturday, posting a podium sweep in the pole vault and claiming two podium finishes each in the javelin, steeplechase and hammer throw.
The Bulldogs claimed the top four spots in the pole vault and had six student-athletes score in the event altogether. Wilson successfully defended her 2019 title, clearing a height of 3.97 meters. Jackie Barnes, Brittany Bishop and Alexis Cook finished behind her in that order.
Emma Garner led a 1-2 finish for Samford in the steeplechase, winning in 10:54.35. Teammate Harper McGowan finished second, with VMI’s Naomi Hahn in third.
Samford freshman Erin Long won the javelin with a throw of 42.65 meters, as she edged Wofford’s Jenna Reid, who threw 42.44 meters. Emorie Long, the defending champion and Erin Long’s sister, finished third for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs earned two more podium finishes in the hammer throw, with Hannah Daffin finishing second with a heave of 54.87 meters and Maggie Johnston taking third with a mark of 54.46 meters. The Citadel’s Milan Williams won the event with a toss of 57.72 meters.
Western Carolina’s McIntyre captured her second straight title in the long jump with an effort of 5.87 meters. ETSU’s Mekayla Brown and Molly Rhudy finished second and third, respectively.
Furman’s women got off to a strong start to the day with a 1-2 finish in the 10,000-meter run. Freshman Jonna Strange won in 35:31.32, followed by classmate Emily Little in 36:34.37 ahead of Chattanooga’s Lesley Green in third. The Paladins and the Mocs both saw three student-athletes score in the event.
The men’s race is much closer after day one, with the host Catamounts on top of a group of four teams separated by just 10 points. Western Carolina posted 52 points on day one, with Furman close behind with 48, followed by Samford (45) and The Citadel (42).
Furman opened the day with 33 points in the day’s first event, the 10,000-meter run. The Paladins claimed six of the top seven spots in the event, including a podium sweep by freshmen David Ahlmeyer (30:33.53), Andrew Hammel (30:36.27) and Adam Beucler (30:38.60).
Western Carolina’s men overtook Furman for the team lead with a dominant effort in the long jump, the third event of the day to go final. The Catamounts picked up 21 points in the event, with by Shon Pratcher (7.43 meters) and Tyler Rodriguez (6.98m) finishing 1-2.
Furman would reclaim the team lead late in the day on the strength of 15 points in the steeplechase, highlighted by Ponder’s meet-record time of 8:49.66. The sophomore from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, came in just under the previous record of 8:49.77, set by Marshall’s Todd Crosson in 1988.
The Paladins’ lead was short-lived, however, as Western Carolina’s Brett Lemmons finished second in the javelin, the last event of the day to go final, to put the Catamounts back on top at the end of day one.
Samford’s Matt Cahoon handily won the event, as his throw of 67.87 meters went more than 11 meters farther than anyone else’s effort.
The Citadel claimed the hammer throw on both the men’s and women’s sides, as graduate student JP Caglione followed Williams’s win with a victory of his own with a toss of 57.10 meters. The Bulldogs claimed two more podium finishes in the pole vault, with Sam Blumer finishing second and Devin Merrick taking third. Samford’s Jed Sisco won the event, clearing 4.90 meters.
The highlight of the day’s preliminary races was Moore’s meet record in the 110-meter hurdles. His time of 13.97 seconds supplanted the 14.09 mark set by The Citadel’s Malik Diggs on the same track in 2018.
Halfway through the decathlon, Samford’s Ty Kimberlin leads with 3,761 points. With four of the heptathlon’s seven events in the books, Wofford’s Megan Dunn leads with 2,982 points.
Sunday’s action begins with the resumption of the men’s decathlon at 9 a.m. ESPN+ coverage begins at 1 p.m. Live results, daily recaps, photos and video highlights can be found at SoConSports.com.
Men’s results – Day 1
1. Western Carolina – 52 points
2. Furman – 48
3. Samford – 45
4. The Citadel – 42
5. VMI – 26
6. ETSU – 11
t7. UNCG – 5
t7. Wofford – 5
Women’s results – Day 1
1. Samford – 87 points
2. ETSU – 28
3. Wofford – 27.5
4. Furman – 22
5. The Citadel – 21
6. Western Carolina – 19.5
7. Chattanooga – 19
8. VMI – 9
9. Mercer – 1
10. UNCG – 0
Day 1 champions
Men: 10,000-meter run David Ahlmeyer, Furman (30:33.53);
hammer JP Caglione, The Citadel (57.10 meters);
long jump Shon Pratcher, Western Carolina (7.43 meters);
3,000-meter steeplechase Cameron Ponder, Furman (8:49.66*);
pole vault Jed Sisco, Samford (4.90 meters);
javelin Matt Cahoon, Samford (67.87 meters).
Women: 10,000-meter run Jonna Strange, Furman (35:31.32);
hammer throw Milan Williams, The Citadel (57.72 meters);
pole vault Tally Wilson, Samford (3.97 meters);
javelin Erin Long, Samford (42.65 meters);
long jump Makaila McIntyre, Western Carolina (5.87 meters);
3,000-meter steeplechase Emma Garner, Samford (10:54.35).
* meet record
Note: Samford’s Titus Moore set a meet record in the preliminaries of the 110-meter hurdles (13.97).
Men’s all-freshman – Day 1
10,000-meter run
David Ahlmeyer, Furman
Andrew Hammel, Furman
Adam Beucler, Furman
Men’s hammer
Andrew Granger, VMI
Mason Robinson, Western Carolina
Marshall Gainer, Samford
Men’s long jump
Tyler Rodriguez, Western Carolina
Ty Kimberlin, Samford
Keyandre Midgett, VMI
Men’s pole vault
Jed Sisco, Samford
McCray Kelton, Samford
Sebastian LaTorre, Wofford
Men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase
Myles Stoots, ETSU
Spencer Tate, Furman
Josh Powers, Furman
Men’s javelin
Paul Szuba, Wofford
Ty Wesenyak, VMI
Ty Hevener, VMI
Women’s all-freshman – Day 1
10,000-meter run
Jonna Strange, Furman
Emily Little, Furman
Lesley Green, Chattanooga
Women’s hammer
Hannah Daffin, Samford
Jenna Reid, Wofford
Emma Nolte, Samford
Women’s pole vault
Brittany Bishop, Samford
Alexis Cook, Samford
Riley Alexander, Samford
Women’s javelin
Erin Long, Samford
Jenna Reid, Wofford
Maddy Cardenas, The Citadel
Women’s long jump
Molly Rhudy, ETSU
Aiya Finch, Samford
Rylee Jorgensen, Wofford
Women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase
Harper McGowan, Samford
Naomi Hahn, VMI
Faith Brown, Chattanooga
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