13 ETSU Track & Field Athletes in 10 different events qualified for the Finals on Friday

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.  (May 11, 2017) – On a day in which the East Tennessee State Track & Field team thrived at the 2017 Southern Conference Outdoor Championships in Birmingham, Ala., senior Katrina Seymour (New Providence, Bahamas) shined the brightest breaking a SoCon Outdoor Championships record in the 400 meter hurdles.

The 400mH ETSU record holder once again etched her name into the record book as she ran a time of 58.15 in her preliminary round to win her heat and break the SoCon Championships record set by Sarah Sanford of Samford in 2015. With the time, Seymour was the top qualifier to advance to the 400mH finals tomorrow.

Seymour also automatically qualified for the 400m dash final after winning her heat with a time of 58.03. Overall, Seymour has the third fastest time in the 400m.

Along with the record performance, ETSU had three individual titles claimed in the javelin throw,3000m steeplechase and discus throw. In the field, sophomore Benjamin Johnson (Nashville, Tenn.) won two SoCon title on Thursday in the  the Javelin throw with a mark of 58.80m and in the discus with a throw of 50.19m.  For the second straight year, junior Simeon Roberts (Greeneville, Tenn.) was crowned the men’s 3000m steeplechase SoCon Champion after running a time of 9:15.50.

ETSU was dominant in the men’s 3000m steeplechase as the Bucs had four in the top six and the top two spots. Behind Roberts in second place was freshman Noah Charles (Johnson City, Tenn.) who ran a time of 9:18.48. Coming in fifth and sixth respectively was junior Haydn Borghetti-Metz (9:30.55) and freshman Adam Bradtmueller (9:31.63).

Dominating on the women’s side was sophomore Kyra Atkins (Greer, S.C.) who qualified for the 100mH and 200m event finals, finishing with the fastest time in both events. In the field, Atkins was narrowly edged in the women’s long jump as she was unable to out jump Western Carolina’s Chenell Bryan in the best jump competition after both finished with marks of 6.13m.

The reigning SoCon Indoor Decathlon champion junior Nathan Rivera (Knoxville, Tenn.) is in the leading the event at the outdoor championships with a point total of 3,282. Of the five decathlon events on day one, Rivera finished second in the long jump (6.33m), second in the 100m (11.28), fourth in the shot put (10.49m), seventh in the 400m (56.22) and won the high jump with a mark of 1.95m.

Overall the ETSU men's team is in fourth place with 69 total points while the women's team is in fifth place with 21 points. .Day Two of the 2017 Outdoor SoCon Championships will begin at 9:45 a.m. with the sixth event in the men’s decathlon.

Thirteen student-athletes qualified in ten different events for the event finals on Friday, May 12. The full list of event final qualifiers is HERE and linked above.

For more information on Buccaneer Track and field, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the track and field page