Photo credit: Photo Courtesy of Karen Arnold
Track and field split competition across two meets last weekend, earning multiple event wins, a school record and several top finishes in Louisville and Boston.
Kennesaw State competed across two sites, with the majority of the team traveling to Louisville while select distance runners competed in Boston.
Freshmen Ca’Von Lucas and Marion Clark each earned their first collegiate victories Friday at the Lenny Lyles Invitational in Louisville. Clark won the C Division of the 400 meters in 48.24 seconds, while Lucas captured the C Division of the 200 meters with a time of 21.49.
The Owls added another win on the hurdles side, as freshman Natalie Harris claimed the 60-meter hurdles title with a personal-best time of 8.41 seconds. Harris was accompanied by teammates Tickia Sutton and Madison Maxey in the finals, who placed fifth and sixth with season-best times of 8.53 and 8.61, respectively.
KSU continued its trend of setting school records in the 60-meter dash, with Chance Cross finishing second in 6.59 seconds to break his own program mark. The time also ranks 10th nationally this season. Kenadie Singleton recorded a runner-up finish in the women’s 60 meters, clocking 7.43 seconds in both the semifinals and finals, while Ebony Whyte placed seventh with a season-best 7.54.
In the sprints and middle distances, the Owls extended their streak of strong performances. Eric Young II placed third in the 400 meters with a time of 47.26 seconds, the third-fastest mark in program history. Pishon Haughton added an eighth-place finish with a season-best 47.95. Britney Chatfield finished second in the B Division of the women’s 400 meters in 55.45, while Samiyah Wayne placed sixth with a personal-best 55.95.
Field events did not shy away from producing highlights for KSU, either. Noah Jirgens threw a personal-best 19.85 meters (65-1½) to place fifth in the hammer throw, while Evan Martinez finished fourth in the shot put with a season-best mark of 17.19 meters (56-4¾). In the high jump, Kenyatta Bennett and Gage Voyles each cleared 2.08 meters (6-9¾), placing fifth and seventh on attempts.
Distance runners competed at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston, where Madison Seiler placed 11th in the women’s 5,000 meters with a time of 16:28.74, ranking second in program history. Emma Sullivan placed 14th in the invitational 800 meters at 2:04.44, while Emma Ferguson, Riley Perlakowski and Akshana finished 24th, 25th and 33rd respectively in the open mile.
On the men’s side in Boston, Collins Kipkemboi and Brian Limo recorded top-five program marks in the 3,000 meters, finishing 54th and 58th overall. Justin Warner added a 36th-place finish in the 800 meters with a time of 1:54.76.
Track and field director and head coach Cale McDaniel said the team’s performances across both sites reflected the program’s depth and continued progress.
“I am very proud of what our team was able to do at two different meets this weekend,” McDaniel said. “The group at Boston was able to improve upon marks earlier in the season and within Conference USA. The majority of our team traveled to Louisville and again improved upon numerous marks and won several events. This is as deep of a roster as we have ever had at KSU, and I can’t wait to see how we finish this season.”
The Owls will have a weekend off before they are set to compete at the Music City Challenge at Vanderbilt and the Tiger Paw Invitational at Clemson on February 13-14.
