Close-up of numbered running lanes. Photo by Lisa Kara
Track and field bounced back with a strong two-day performance at the Georgia Tech Invitational, securing two program records and five event wins at the George C. Griffin Track Facility.
The Owls opened competition Friday with several strong marks before building momentum into a strong and borderline dominant showing on Day 2, responding after a quieter outing the previous weekend.
Chance Cross set the tone early on Day 1, winning the 100 meters in 10.37 seconds. In the field events, Aidan Boyd delivered one of the top performances of the entire meet, placing second in the javelin with a KSU-record throw of 67.51 meters (221’6”). The men’s throws group added depth with multiple top finishes in the shot put and hammer throw.
On the women’s side, standout freshman Natalie Harris led the hurdles group with a third-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles, while Keira Hight and Morgan Pepe each posted top-five finishes in the pole vault.
KSU carried that momentum into Saturday with one of its strongest performances of the outdoor season.
Gage Voyles showed no signs of slowing down his incredible freshman season as he highlighted the weekend with a school-record performance in the high jump, marking a personal-best 2.21 meters (7’3”) to win the event and rank among the top marks nationally this season. Kenyatta Bennett added a third-place finish with a mark of 2.15 meters (7’0.5”) to place third, which also moved him to second in the Conference USA rankings.
Chinedum Ike scored another victory in the triple jump, clearing a distance of 15.43 meters (50’7.5) while freshman Cameron Dean placed third with a 15.07 meter leap (49’5.5”). Josh Jones added another program record in the 400-meter hurdles with a third-place finish, clocking a time of 51.39 seconds. Freshman Marion Clark trailed closely with his own time of 51.79 seconds, placing fifth in the event.
The women’s team matched the success on the track, with freshman Ta’Tyana Anderson winning the high jump, marking 1.67m (5’5.75”). The 4×100 meter relay team of Ebony Whyte, Natalie Harris, Samiya Wayne, and Kenadie Singleton also took first place with a time of 45.04 seconds.
Senior Emma Sullivan added another event win for the Owls in the 400 meters in 53.17 seconds, while Riley Perlakowski secured a strong second in the 800 meters, clocking a time of 2:07.59.
Victoria Joyce placed third in the triple jump with a mark of 12.32 meters (40’5”), and Singleton finished fourth in the 200 meters in 23.79 seconds.
After a more subdued meet in Athens the previous weekend, KSU showed a much-needed return to form with multiple wins, record-setting performances and depth across all squads.
The Owls are next set to send a small group to compete at the Penn Relays on April 24-25, while Kali Terza is scheduled to compete in the hammer throw at the Drake Relays.
