LEXINGTON, Va.- Carson-Newman track and field finished the second day of the VMI Invitational with a slew of spots on the podium and new personal records.
"We have a lot to celebrate with this meet," head track and field coach David Needs said. "We had many top finishers and a lot of personal records. I am most pleased with how our athletes competed, especially considering the limited practice time and nagging illnesses. We were happy to get really great results that we can continue to build on".
Sade De Sousa grabbed gold in the women's 60-meter dash finals in 7.53 seconds, and Dawson Jones stood second on the podium for the men's 60 dash in 6.92.
In the men's 200 dash, Amine Kasmi placed second with a new personal record in 21.38. Kasmi now holds the fifth fastest time in NCAA Division II for the event. Teammate Jones placed fifth in 21.99, and Quacy Virgo grabbed sixth in 22.04. Virgo set a new personal record in the event with his efforts.
"I'm really excited for Amine, who ran the fifth fastest time in the country," Needs said. "It was also awesome to see Dawson Jones take a big step forward as a sprinter too".
Brent Borden placed seventh in the one mile with a new personal record time of 4:28.91. On the women's side, Maggie Hope grabbed a new personal record in 5:48.79.
In the women's 400-meter dash, Tytiana Wilson finished fifth in 58.14.
Shemar Patten finished the 60-meter hurdles finals in sixth place with a finals time of 8.46 seconds. Kadidja Sangare placed second on the women's side of the event in 8.92.
In the 800-meter dash, Raymond Brugmans placed fifth in 1:59.64. During the men's 3,000-meter run, Colton Lee ran a personal best time in 8:38.87. Lee grabbed bronze in the event. Katie Smock (10:38.08) and Jenna Pittman (10:47.49) both ran personal records in the women's 3,000.
"We had so many great moments, but to watch people like Colton and Katie, and so many others, race and compete was just awesome," Needs said. "I'm really proud of how our athletes were so supportive of each other. That is what we love about our team".
Oluwafemi Richards made his mark in the men's high jump with a second-place finish and season best 2.02-meter mark. Luke Smith placed fifth in the men's shot put with a 14.54-meter mark.
In the women's triple jump, Brooke Taylor finished in fourth with her 11.21-meter performance.
Final results from the VMI Invitational can be found HERE.
"VMI is a great place to run and learn. This meet also provides us a benchmark to see how much we have progressed in two weeks when we return. Overall, it was a fantastic meet," Needs said.
Carson-Newman track and field will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 9 at the VMI Winter Classic. Stay up to date on cneagles.com.
