Athlete Gage Voyles poses in preseason photo. Photo courtesy of KSU Athletics.
Track and field delivered another record-setting performance this past weekend at the Penn Relays held at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Owls’ meet was highlighted by four school records and a strong fourth-place finish in the Championship of America 4×400-meter relay at Franklin Field.
A small group of Owls competed at one of the nation’s most prestigious meets, continuing to build momentum late in the outdoor regular season.
KSU opened competition Thursday with strong performances on the distance side, led by junior Madison Seiler in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Seiler finished third with a personal-best 9:56.87, setting a program record and ranking sixth in Penn Relays history.
Emma Sullivan added another record for the Owls, breaking the program mark in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:13.65 to place fourth.
On the men’s side, junior Brian Limo set a school record in the 5,000 meters, finishing in 14:02.05. The 400-meter hurdles group added depth with multiple top finishes, with Josh Jones leading the pack in 12th place, clocking a time of 52.14 seconds.
KSU’s momentum carried into the relay events, where the Owls turned in one of their top performances of the season.
The 4×400 meter relay team of Justin Warner, Chance Cross, Pishon Haughton, and Eric Young II set a school record in the preliminary round, running 3:05.19 to qualify for the Championship of America final.
In Saturday’s final, Haughton, Warner, Young II, and Marion Clark posted a time of 3:07.33 to finish fourth against a national-caliber field. Power Four programs Ohio State, Texas A&M, and Houston were the only three schools to finish above the Owls.
Over the weekend, KSU recorded four school records in arguably its highest-level outdoor meet of the season.
“Kids have been working really hard, so it’s exciting to see them perform well in prestigious meets like the Penn Relays,” Kennesaw State director and head coach Cale McDaniel said. “Really proud of our kids and staff for competing so well. We belong at the national level and continue to show it every weekend.”
The Owls are set to return to Athens and compete at the Torrin Lawrence Memorial on May 1-2.
