BOONE, N.C. (Dec. 5, 2010) - The ETSU men's and women's track and field teams had a strong showing at the Appalachian Invitational in Boone, N.C. as 15 Buccaneers posted top three performances this weekend.
"Overall we had some mixed results in this first meet," said assistant coach Eli Sunquist. "Some kids did a great job, while some of the freshmen are getting adjusted to collegiate track and field. This meet has also been a good measuring stick for some of our athletes as they are now recognizing the work ahead of them going into Christmas break."
The Bucs had a strong showing in the sprints as Mike James (Palm Bay, Fla.) finished first in the men's 55m hurdles posting a time of 7.52, while Emani Harrison (Columbia, S.C) ran a personal-best in the women's 55m coming in first with a time of 7.10.
In the women's 200m, Jasmine Ingram (Frederick, Md.) and Harrison both posted top three times as Ingram finished second with a lifetime best of 24.92. Harrison was third in the 200m with a time of 25.16. Ingram placed second in the women's 400m after running a time of 56.39. Sophomore Tim O'Dell (Palm Coast, Fla.) also posted a personal record in the men's 400m as he clocked the third best time of the day at 49.79.
Junior Caitlyn Epps (Cookeville, Tenn.) finished first in the women's 3000m after posting a personal-best time of 10:50.32.
"The fact that we were able to place so many different events in the top of the results shows that our approach to developing a total track and field team is coming together," Sunquist added. "We aren't there yet, but we are in a great place heading into the indoor season. The entire staff and team is looking forward to coming back in January to continue these good results."
ETSU saw Ben Ronoh (Sotik, Kenya) and Landon Milhorn (The Woodlands, Texas) finish 2-3 in the men's mile. Ronoh came in at 4:26.95, while Milhorn clocked a time of 4:27.55.
In the relays, the ETSU men's team posted the second best time of the day as Jeremiah Foster, Zarkeed Reeves (Riverdale, Ga.), James and O'Dell were edged out by .16 of a second in the men's 4x400m relay by Western Carolina after running a time of 3:18.96. On the women's side, Hannah Bowers (Jonesborough, Tenn.), Harrison, Ashton Bishop (Gate City, Va.) and Ingram combined to finish third in the women's 4x400m relay posting a time of 3:59.56.
Senior Jarrod Burton (Bastian, Va.) had a good showing in the throws as he finished second in both the shot put (52-7 ¼) and the weight throw (60-3). Taylor Story (Germantown, Tenn.) placed third in the women's high jump after a lifetime best mark of 5-5 3/4, and Ryan Beaver (Virginia Beach, Va.) finished third in the men's long jump as he posted a mark of 22-11 ¼.
The Bucs return to action in the spring as they will head to Blacksburg, Va. to complete in the Virginia Tech Invitational on Jan. 14-15. For more information on Buccaneer track and field, visit www.ETSUBucs.com.
