Kennesaw State competing at the Vanderbilt Invitational in Nashville, Tennessee in 2025. Photo courtesy of KSU Athletics.
Kennesaw State track and field recorded several top finishes Saturday at the Vanderbilt Invitational in Nashville, Tennessee, closing out the competition with momentum on both the women’s and men’s sides.
Justin Warner led the Owls on the track, winning the men’s 400 meter event with a time of 47.12 seconds. Warner’s performance marked the only event win for KSU during the meet and highlighted a strong showing in the sprints.
Cale McDaniel, director and coach of track and field and cross country, said he was most impressed with Warner’s performance.
“I was most impressed by Justin Warner’s race today,” he said. “It was really important to our team because it took the conference lead in the 400, and it’s always good to win events. He won that race by a significant margin.”
Field events provided several notable results for the men’s team. Chinedum Ike recorded a personal-best mark of 15.42 meters (50 feet, 7.25 inches) in the triple jump, finishing second overall. Freshman Gage Voyles followed Ike with a third-place finish in the high jump, clearing 2.03 meters (6-8), while Kenyatta Bennett placed fifth with 1.98 meters (6-6).
In the throws, Rickey Robbins placed fourth in the shot put at 17.09 meters (56-1), and Evan Martinez followed in fifth at 16.63 meters (54-6¾), giving the Owls two top-five finishes in the event.
Distance runner Edwin Kiprono added one of the most significant performances of the entire meet for KSU, despite finishing outside of the top 10. Kiprono placed 11th in the mile, posting a time of 4 minutes and 9.51 seconds, which stands as the third-fastest mile in program history.
The women’s team matched the men’s success with multiple podium finishes and program record-setting performances. Keira Hight led the way, winning the pole vault after clearing a personal best of 3.85 meters (12-7½).
Victoria Joyce finished third in the triple jump, recording a mark of 12.46 meters (40-10½). Morgan Pepe delivered a strong showing in the pole vault, tying for fourth all-time in KSU history.
On the track, Madison Seiler represented the Owls in the 3,000-meter run, finishing with a time of 9:31.87 and placing 11th. Her performance now stands as the second-fastest 3,000 meter time in KSU history, continuing the strong distance performances for the Owls.
The Owls opened the season with multiple personal-best performances and podium finishes throughout the weekend.
“I thought it was a great start to the year with several personal bests and event wins in both meets that we attended this weekend,” McDaniel said. “This gives us a great foundation to build on for the rest of the year.”
The Owls are set to travel to Clemson for the Orange and Purple Invitational on the weekend of January 23-24.
