Mountain State Times

The Alderson Broaddus University Track & Field teams competed at the Myrtle Beach Collegiate Challenge this past weekend and left with a few personal bests and a school record.

On day one of the two-day meet, it was a rainy day one. In the hammer throw, Micah Harrison led the way placing sixth, throwing 42.98m, followed by Jacob Sharp at 36.40m, and Cedric Carter at 31.42m. In the the long jump, Justice Washington finished with a jump of 4.40m. In the last field event of the day, the javelin throw, Carter finished with a heave of 33.92m, Sharp at 31.88m, and Harrison at 21.49m. 

In the running events, the opening round of the 100m run, Shaam Al-Natour ran a 13.77, Braley Murphy 14.17, and Olivia Kqira 14.55. For the men, Isaiah Jean and Calvin Blunt led the round and qualified for the semi-finals, both running lifetime best times in 11.00 and 11.06 respectively. Abiodun Soneye ran 11.46, and Jomel Monpas 11.50. In the open 800, Vernon Smith ran a time of 2:08.99. In the 100 hurdles, Kaylie Laskody ran a 17.91. In the semi-finals of the 100, Bellela Colas ran a time of 13.30, Devon Napier just missed the finals running a time of 10.93, Jean in 10.97, and Blunt at 11.35. In the 4x800 relay, the team of Trinity Bumbry, Nykia Fort, Colas, and Layla James finished in sixth with a time of 10:32.11. On the men's side, the team of Shelton Bass, Nathan Jacobs, Alexander Cockerham, and Smith ran a new school record of 8:29.26 to take ninth place. In the final event for the Battlers on day one, the men's 4x200 team comprised of Soneye, Jameal Boykin, Andrew Nephew, and Jonathan Nagalo placed sixth running a time of 1:34.89. 

To open up day two, Harrison placed ninth in discus with a throw of 39.74m, followed by Carter with a throw of 35.01m. In the high jump, Fort placed twelfth with a jump of 1.43m, Desiree Knotts cleared the bar at 1.38m, and Cameron Tropeck cleared the bar at 1.73m and placed eighth. In the pole vault, Greysen Gerth placed eighth with a new collegiate-best vault of 3.66m. In the shot put, Carter placed seventh with a throw of 13.70m, Micah Swann followed with a throw of 12.47m, and Harrison threw 12.11m.

On the track, Adra Schell ran a time of 12:04.86 in the 3000m run, placing tenth. In the women's 400, Fort placed ninth with a new PR of 63.21, Colas finished running 65.45, and Washington 66.87. On the men's side, Nephew finished with a time of 53.05, followed by Soneye in 55.42, and Boykin in 57.03. In the seeded 800, James ran a time of 2:19.65 and finished in second overall, while Jacobs ran a time of 1:59.05, a new collegiate-best time, to take fifth overall. In the 400 hurdles, Nagalo ran a time of 58.83, McDowell ran 59.17, and Tropeck ran 65.74, all of which are lifetime-best performances. In the 200, Knotts ran a time of 28.15, Washington ran 28.43, Al-Natour ran 28.72, Murphy ran 30.05, and Kqira ran 30.49. On the men's side, Bass runs a time of 22.17 placing third, Napier ran 22.38 placing sixth, Blunt ran 22.98, and Monpas ran 24.10. In the 3000m steeplechase, Alexander Cockerham ran a 10:44.02. To close out the meet, the women's 4x400 team comprised of James, Fort, Washington, and Colas ran a time of 4:15.74, just missing the school record (4:12.88), and finished in sixth. The men had two teams run the 4x400, the A-team was comprised of Bass. Nephew, Nagalo, and Blunt where they ran a time f 3:30.79, and the B-team comprised of Tropeck, Boykin, McDowell, and Smith ran a time of 3:43.75 placing seventh and fifthteenth respectively. 

"The meet was a nice get-away for the team. We were able to compete against some talented teams, and got some decent weather to start the year" said Head Coach Paris Vaughan. "This is going to be a special year, and I am glad we are getting things going how they are."

The Battlers are back in action at the Stan Romanoski Open this weekend hosted by West Virginia University, March 17-18. 

Original source can be found here