Simon Seid at a meet speaking with a member of the Kennesaw State track and field staff. Photo courtesy of KSU Athletics.
Track and field turned in another strong performance Saturday at the Orange and Purple Invitational at Clemson University, setting four school records and winning one event.
Freshman Gage Voyles earned the Owls’ only event victory of the meet, clearing 2.12 meters (6 feet, 11½ inches) to win the high jump. Voyles scraped by teammate Kenyatta Bennett on attempts, giving KSU a first and second place finish in the event.
The Owls set multiple school records throughout the meet, beginning with Simon Seid in the men’s pole vault, who cleared 5.25 meters (17-2¾) .
Victoria Joyce continued her success in the field events, breaking the school record in the triple jump with a mark of 12.66 meters (41-6½), beating the previous mark by six inches.
Kennesaw State director and head coach Cale McDaniel said the record-setting performances reflected the team’s preparation early in the season.
“I can’t say enough about the effort level and commitment of our athletes and staff over the past few weeks,” McDaniel said. “We are certainly trending in the right direction. We have a great plan, and it’s coming to life.”
The Owls also set school records in both the men’s and women’s 4×400-meter relay events. The men’s team of Justin Warner, Trey Geter, Pishon Haughton and Eric Young II posted a time of 3:08.14 to place fourth overall. On the women’s side, Emma Sullivan, Britney Chatfield, Samiya Wayne and Eliana Mbadinga ran 3:40.40, winning their heat and finishing third overall.
“Those relays at the end of the meet were special,” McDaniel said. “When you can run strong relays early in the year, it’s a great sign of depth and fitness from the team. I’m very proud of those times, and they’re only going to drop from here.”
Field events and distance races provided additional highlights for the men’s team. In the weight throw, Noah Jirgens placed third with a mark of 19.30 meters (63-4), while Evan Martinez and Harrison Pawsat followed in fifth and sixth at 18.77 meters (61-7) and 18.22 meters (59-9), respectively. Bryson Gilchrist added a fifth-place finish in the long jump with a mark of 7.05 meters (23-1¾), and Chinedum Ike placed third in the triple jump at 15.04 meters (49-4¼).
The record-setting day for the Owls continued on the track, with Geter running the third-fastest 400-meter time in program history at 47.63 seconds. Edwin Kiprono placed sixth in the 800-meters with a time of 1:51.16, which ranks second all-time for KSU. Collins Kipkemboi recorded the second-fastest mile time in program history, finishing 11th overall with a time of 4:08.52.
Young II and Chance Cross both recorded personal-best performances in the 200-meter, placing fifth and eighth with times of 21.06 and 21.21 seconds, respectively. Young’s mark finished just 0.01 seconds short the school record.
The women’s team also posted several strong performances across the meet. Kali Terza placed second in the weight throw with a mark of 20.95 meters (68-8¾). Morgan Pepe and Keira Hight tied for fifth in the pole vault, both marking 3.79 meters (12-5¼).
On the track, Sullivan placed fifth in the 400-meter with a personal-best time of 54.50 seconds, the second-fastest time in program history. In the 800-meter, Chatfield finished third in 2:09.32, while May Humpert placed seventh at 2:11.25. Emma Ferguson and Riley Perlakoski placed fourth and fifth in the mile, posting times of 4:45.61 and 4:50.27. Wayne rounded out the meet with a 12th-place finish in the 200 meters at 24.34 seconds.
The Owls are set to compete in a split weekend, with most of the team traveling to the University of Louisville for the Lenny Lyles Invitational, while the distance runners are scheduled to travel to Boston University for the John Thomas Terrier Classic.
