The men's and women's indoor track and field teams competed at their first meet of the semester today in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Bruins participated in ten events at the Mondo College Invitational against schools such as Wofford College, Wake Forest University, North Greenville University, Southern Wesleyan University, and other familiar competitors.
"The team did well, and we continue to move positively with individual performances," said Head Coach Ken Roach. "The team rallied in several race events, pressed well, and had a competitive spirit. It is nice to be back and having a successful race feels great."
Opening Saturday's meet on a high note were Daniel Garian and Josiah Mackey in the shot put. Garian hit an NCCAA national qualifying mark with a personal best throw of 13.66 meters on his third attempt. His PR put him second overall out of 42 competitors.
On the track, the sprinters got underway with the 60 meter race. Four women and five men competed in the qualifying rounds. Misha Gray led the Bruins with a time of 7.37 seconds to finish 20
th in the event followed closely by teammate Leonardo Adames Mota. Finishing next for the Bruins was Michael Leonard who raced in the event for the first time. Kyle Williams and Jeremiah Medrano each recorded personal bests in the sprint. In the women's event, freshman Briana Felter finished first for Bob Jones, stopping the clock at 8.72 seconds. She was followed by teammates Melody Davis, Mia Marks, and Grace Bailey.
On his first attempt in the long jump, Bruins athlete John Vance went 5.31 meters.
Back on the track, Robert Ulsh hit a personal best as the lone Bruin in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 9.67.
Evan Seaman hit an 18 second PR in the indoor 3,000 meter race with a new best time of 9:20.14.
Seven Bruins made their way to the track for the 400 meter event. Emily Walton came in fourth overall with a time of 1:05.25. Bethany Grachus, Hannah Cohen, and Elizabeth Farley followed Walton each competing in the event for the first time. On the men's field, Medrano finished in the top ten with a time of 54.16 in his first 400 meter race. Teammates Ulsh and Ian Flynn followed to wrap up the race.
Kristen Dodds and Kathryn Amato toed the line in the 600 meter competition. The pair finished back-to-back with times of 2:02 and 2:04 respectively. In the men's race, Joel Batres-Mena competed in the 600 for the first time in his collegiate career and crossed the finish line with a time of 1:28.88 to finish 12th out of 33 competitors.
Later Saturday afternoon, eight Bruins prepared to compete in the 200. Melody Davis, Briana Felter, Emily Walton, and Mia Marks represented on the women's side with John Vance, Kyle Williams, Botond Berces, and Garrett Collins showing up for the men's team.
Racing around the track eight times was the mile crew consisting of James Baer, Levi Gerbitz, and Daniel Kyle. Baer stopped the clock right at the five minute mark with teammates Gerbitz and Kyle just seconds behind.
To wrap up the weekend, the men's team crewed a 4x400 meter relay consisting of Jeremiah Medrano, Joel Batres-Mena, Michael Leonard, and Misha Gray. The group finished in the top ten with a time of 3:38.05.
Full results from Saturday's meet can be found
here.
Up next, the Bruins will travel to Columbia, South Carolina to compete in the Carolina Challenge hosted by the University of South Carolina at the end of the month.
