LEXINGTON, Va. – The Western Carolina indoor track & field teams saw event wins by
Javell Brown and
Makaila McIntyre to highlight opening day action Saturday at the Southern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship hosted by VMI inside the Corps Physical Training Center (CPTC).
After five scored events, the men's team is in second place with 49 points, trailing first-place Samford's 57 points. The women's team is in fifth place with 24.5 points following six events.
Brown won the men's long jump with a personal-best leap of 7.32 meters (24'0.25") as the Catamounts took four of the eight scoring positions.
Tyler Rodriguez was third after his leap of 7.22 meters (23'8.25").
Javon Brown was fourth with a mark of 7.00 meters (22'11.75") with
Brandon Harvey in seventh thanks to a mark of 6.81 meters (22'4.25"). WCU scored an impressive 23 points in the event.
Ryan Eldridge finished as the runner-up in the men's shot put with a throw of 15.41 meters (50'6.75").
Brandon Harvey finished third in the men's high jump after he cleared a height of 1.95 meters (6'4.75").
Khadevis Snead finished in eighth place in the event, clearing the bar set at 1.85 meters (6'0.75").
Justin Hayes earned a fifth-place finish in the men's 3,000-meter run after finishing the race in a personal best 8:18.87.
The men's distance medley relay team of
Elijah Stuart,
Zae Smith,
John Davis, and
Jalen Elwell finished in sixth place after completing the race in 10:26.91.
The men's team also had several sprinters qualify for Sunday's finals.
Michael Harris advanced to the finals in the men's 400-meter dash. Harris completed the race in the preliminary round with a time of 49.49.
David Miles and
Tyler Manigault punched their ticket to the men's 60-meter dash finals. Miles posted a prelim time of 6.91 with Manigault crossing the finish line in 7.01.
In the men's 200-meter dash prelims, Miles was the fastest after completing the race in 21.70.
Marcus Brown advanced to the finals with a time of 21.91, while Harris and Manigault also punched their ticket to Sunday's final with times of 22.11 and 22.12, respectively.
The women's team was led by McIntyre as she defended her crown in the women's long jump, winning the event for the second straight year with a mark of 5.88 meters (19'3").
Omare McBride earned an eighth-place finish in the event with a mark of 5.34 meters (17'5").
Victoria Solheim finished in fifth place in the women's shot put with a season-best mark of 13.04 meters (42'9.5").
Carter Unger tied for fifth place in the women's pole vault, clearing a height of 3.35 meters (10'11'.75").
Kate Mattison earned a sixth-place result in the women's 3,000-meter run with a personal best time of 9:52.61. It is the second-fastest time in program history in the event. She also qualified for the women's mile finals with a prelim time of 5:13.50.
The women's distance medley relay team of
Sara Klemm,
Mikayla Turner,
Alesea Caldwell, and
Sydney Runyan finished in sixth place with a time of 12:50.86.
The women's team also had multiple competitors qualify for Sunday final events.
Marissa Blakely headlined three WCU runners advancing to the finals in the women's 400-meter dash with the fastest prelim time of 57.11.
Mekyll Robinson logged a time of 57.45 followed by
Nytrinitey Jenkins at 58.69.
McIntyre ran the second-fastest time in the women's 60-meter dash prelims at 7.60 to advance to Sunday's final.
In the women's 200-meter dash prelims, Robinson and Blakely qualified for the finals on Sunday with times of 24.84 and 25.21, respectively.
Dami Shodeinde and
Mallory Lowe advanced to the finals in the women's 60-meter hurdles. Shodeinde ran the fourth-fastest time of 8.75 with Lowe grabbing the final qualifying spot with a time of 9.11.
The meet resumes on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. with the men's heptathlon. ESPN+ coverage begins at Noon.
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