Today, January 21st, the Lynx Men's and Women's Track and Field Team traveled to the Birmingham CrossPlex to compete in the Samford Indoor Open. The meet, being the first of the spring, held big improvements for the Lynx on both the men's and women's teams.
The sprints group had a great day with many personal records (PRs) and a few competitors ranking high in national rankings for their respective events. TJ Clayton ran the 200M dash with a time of 21.99. Olivia Freeman had another standout performance in the 60M dash, ranking 8th in the nation, with a time of 7.74. Hugh Stokes ran a personal best in the 60M hurdles with a time of 8.43 and set the school record in the event! Luke Gerzon, in the 60M dash, and Megan Weilmuenster, in the 60M hurdles both had big personal bests, with times of 6.98 and 9.78. Personal bests in the sprints also included Ava Dunn in the 400M.
In the field, Ace Cole is back again in the pole vault with a huge PR, jumping 3.73M, which currently ranks her 2nd in the nation. Senior Rachel Sullivan had a great day in the hurdles and high jump and finished 7th with a jump of 1.55M. The throws group also had a strong day, with personal bests from Jordan Fredrickson, Liam Sitz, and Kym Young.
The distance group also performed well in Birmingham, which for most was this group's first Track competition coming off of the cross country season. Jared Bryant, a national competitor in the Steeplechase last spring, ran a great opening 3000 with a time of 9:01.53. Sophomore Austin Rhea ran a PR in the mile with a time of 4:27.20. Freshman, Vivian Kalb ran a great opening 3000M and 1 mile, running a personal best in both events. Britany Ziemer and Emma Henager both had personal bests in the 3000M as well. In the men's 5000M, Owen Foster placed 5th and ran 15:48.53. Lastly, Justin Thompson ran a fast time in the 800M at 1:58.40.
Overall, the Lynx had a solid competition this weekend with many personal records and a lot of improvement coming into the spring season. With such strong performances this weekend, there is a lot of excitement for both the men and women. The Track and Field team will return to Birmingham on February 11th to compete in the Samford Indoor Invite.
