Samford leads Outdoor Track & Field Championships

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford's Javion Lee and Western Carolina's Hailey Cook became three-time individual winners and two women's records fell on Thursday to highlight day one of the Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium. Samford leads the races for both the men's and women's titles after one day of competition.

The Bulldogs won six women's events and four men's events Thursday. There were 10 finals contested on each side.

Samford has accumulated 107.5 points in the men's race, with Western Carolina in second with 87.5 and The Citadel in third with 73. The Bulldogs also hold a sizable lead in the women's race, with 152 points to runner-up Western Carolina's 107. Furman is a distant third with 43 points.

Lee, a senior for the Bulldogs, turned in a mark of 15.17 meters for his third consecutive win in the triple jump, while Cook, a senior for the Catamounts, won the shot put by more than a meter with a throw of 14.85 meters for her third straight title.

Bulldog freshman Maggie Johnston broke a nearly 30-year-old SoCon Championship record in the discus throw, recording a heave of 47.08 meters to surpass the mark of 46.36 set by Appalachian State's Ayokka Green in 1998. Johnston easily outdistanced VMI's Elizabeth Johnston (43.09m) and 2016 champion Hailey Cook of Western Carolina (42.57m).

The women's 400-meter hurdles record also fell, as ETSU's Katrina Seymour blazed to a 58.15 in the prelims of that event to erase the former mark of 58.25 set by Samford's Sarah Sanford in 2015.

Samford picked up women's titles from Johnston, Camille Caldwell (hammer, 52.61 meters), Lindsey Kessler (pole vault, 3.81 meters), Emma Garner (3,000-meter steeplechase, 10:11.76), Courtney Prengaman (high jump, 1.73 meters) and Megan Meadow (triple jump, 12.22 meters). Garner and Prengaman successfully defended their 2016 titles, while Prengaman led a Bulldog podium sweep, as Selena Popp and Charlotte Krause were second and third, respectively, in the high jump.

Furman's women swept the top three spots in the first event of the day, the 10,000 meters, with freshmen Anna Hayden, Jennifer Stephenson and Grace Dwyer going 1-2-3 to get the meet going. Hayden turned in a time of 37.05.45 to give the Paladins their third win in the event in the last five seasons.

The Citadel's Mady Riegel became the first repeat winner of the day, as she successfully defended her 2016 javelin title with a winning throw of 41.69 meters.

Western Carolina's Chenell Bryan won the long jump with a leap of 6.13 meters.

Four events of the heptathlon were contested Thursday, with Samford's Popp leading the way after day one. Popp posted 3,173 points on day one of the meet, winning the high jump with a leap of 1.74 meters and the shot put with a throw of 11.17 meters. Wofford's Amber Lust is second after four events with 3,011 points, winning both the 100-meter hurdles (14.55 seconds) and the 200-meter dash (24.81).

On the men's side, the Bulldogs got titles from Lee, Marquis Barnes (long jump, 7.57 meters), Tray Oates (pole vault, 5.35 meters) and Keyth Fightmaster (high jump, 2.10 meters). Oates' title was his second straight, while Fightmaster's complements his 2015 crown.

ETSU had the day's only two-event winner, as Benjamin Johnson improved upon last year's runner-up finish in the men's javelin, using a throw of 58.80 meters for the win, and added another title in the discus throw with a heave of 50.19 meters.

In an event that featured the last three champions in Furman's Aaron Templeton (2016), Josh Brickell (2015) and Tanner Hinkle (2014), it was the Paladins' Frank Lara that claimed the 2017 men's 10,000-meter crown. Lara and Samford's Arsène Guillorel broke away from the lead pack with two laps to go, with Guillorel pushing the pace, but Lara passed him on the straightaway to the start-finish line and blazed through the final lap in 59.41 seconds, finishing in 30:37.98. Guillorel was nearly five seconds back in 30:42.87 and Brickell finished third in 30:44.43.

The Citadel's Derrick Freeland gave the Bulldogs their first title of the meet, unleashing a throw of 57.12 meters to win the men's hammer throw.

In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, ETSU's Simeon Roberts defended his 2016 title, turning in a time of 9:15.50. He was followed by teammate Noah Charles and Samford's Josh Salter. The 1-2 sweep briefly put the Bucs on top of the men's standings for the first time on the day, five points clear of Samford at 53-48.

Samford answered with a 1-2 finish in the high jump, with Chris Thrasher following Oates at 4.75 meters to put the Bulldogs back on top in the team race.

Furman's Jaylan Reid improved on his runner-up finish in the shot put from last year, winning the event with a throw of 16.49 meters. Western Carolina's Mateius Brown (16.21m) and Scott Peretin (15.21m) were second and third, respectively, as the Catamounts closed the gap significantly on Samford, picking up 17 points in the team standings to trail the Bulldogs 86-70 at that point.

The decathlon produced five different winners in as many events Thursday, with ETSU's Nathan Rivera holding the day-one lead with 3,282 points. The Bucs junior won the high jump, clearing 1.95 meters, and finished second in the 100-meter dash (11.28) and the long jump (6.33m).

Preliminaries were contested in the women's 1,500-meter run, men's 110-meter hurdles, women's 100-meter hurdles, men's and women's 400-meter dashes, men's and women's 100-meter dashes, men's and women's 800-meter runs, men's and women's 400-meter hurdles and men's and women's 200-meter dashes. Finals in those events will be contested Friday.

ETSU's Atkins posted a time of 13.25 seconds for the fastest mark in the 100-meter hurdles prelims, but her wind-aided mark does not officially supplant the SoCon Championship record of 13.35.

All of the field events for the championship were contested Thursday in an effort to avoid the inclement weather expected in the Birmingham area Friday. Friday's running events were also moved up 3 1/2 hours each, starting with the women's 4x100-meter relay at 9:30 a.m. Central. The decathlon will still begin at 8:45 a.m. as previously planned.

Live results, daily recaps, daily photos and video highlights can be found at SoConSports.com.

Men's results – Day 1
1. Samford – 107.5 points
2. Western Carolina – 87.5
3. The Citadel – 73
4. ETSU – 69
5. Furman – 38
6. Wofford – 14
7. UNCG – 0

Women's results – Day 1
1. Samford – 152 points
2. Western Carolina – 107
3. Furman – 43
4. VMI – 27
5. The Citadel – 21
6. ETSU – 18
7. Mercer – 17
8. UNCG – 4
T9. Chattanooga – 0
T9. Wofford – 0

Men's All-Freshman – Day 1
10,000 meters
Nathan Longfellow, ETSU
Mason Coppi, Furman
Dillon Dean, Samford

Men's hammer throw
Jay Stanley, Western Carolina
Hunter Griffin, Wofford

Men's javelin throw
Evan McDonald, The Citadel
Jon Waarvik, Samford

Men's pole vault
Hunter Schlatter, Samford
Sage Murphy, ETSU
Hugh Duggan, Samford

Men's long jump
Cory Alston, Western Carolina
Dijoun Huitt, Western Carolina

Men's 3,000-meter steeplechase
Adam Bradtmueller, ETSU
Louis Morris, ETSU
Justin Tucker, Western Carolina

Men's triple jump
Dijoun Huitt, Western Carolina
Nicholas Lyons, Western Carolina

Men's shot put
Tyler Schiemann, The Citadel
Jay Stanley, Western Carolina
Hunter Griffin, Wofford

Men's high jump
Jon Waarvik, Samford
Dijoun Huitt, Western Carolina

Men's discus throw
Prince Howard-Whitaker, The Citadel
Jay Stanley, Western Carolina
Tyler Schiemann, The Citadel

Women's All-Freshman – Day 1
10,000 meters
Grace Dwyer, Furman
Anna Hayden, Furman
Jennifer Stephenson, Furman

Women's hammer throw
Jess Page, The Citadel
Maggie Johnston, Samford
Amy Yarborough, Western Carolina

Women's long jump
Jazmine Gooden, Western Carolina
Erin Hines, Samford

Women's javelin
Erin Hines, Samford
Emily Kirk, VMI
Amy Yarborough, Western Carolina

Women's 3,000-meter steeplechase
Gabrielle Jennings, Furman
Emma Grace Hurley, Furman
Anna Grzeszczak, Mercer

Women's high jump
Charlotte Krause, Samford
Cecilia Piscetelli, Western Carolina

Women's discus throw
Maggie Johnston, Samford
Jess Page, The Citadel
Amy Yarborough, Western Carolina

Women's triple jump
Ationza Smith, ETSU
Charlotte Krause, Samford

Women's shot put
Tiffany Dunham, Western Carolina
Rachel Rouse, Western Carolina
Amy Yarborough, Western Carolina

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