Multiple ETSU athletes set individual bests in Nashville ahead of conference meet

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 9, 2019) – The ETSU track and field team completed Day Two of the Music City Challenge in Nashville Saturday, competing against some of the nation’s best athletes and bringing home new personal records. 

Saturday marked ETSU’s final indoor meet before the Southern Conference Indoor Championships set for Feb. 23-24 at VMI.

Track Highlights from Day Two

• Junior Adam Bradtmueller (Sarasota, Fla.) had a solid run in Saturday’s men’s 3K, winning his section by nearly five seconds with a personal record time of 8:18.64. His time was sixth best in the field.

• Despite losing a four-event undefeated streak against a strong field, sophomore Ben Varghese (Kingsport, Tenn.) had a top-ten finish with a time of 8:21.95.

• Not far behind Bradtmueller and Varghese was junior Noah Charles (Johnson City, Tenn.), who placed fifth in his section with a time of 8:31.63 — which also set a new personal record by nearly 30 seconds.

• Freshman Genevieve Schwarz (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) had a memorable day in the women’s mile, winning her section with a time of 4:55.04 to set a new PR and clocking under the 5:00.00 mark for the first time collegiately.

• Another Buccaneer runner set a personal record in the women’s mile, as sophomore Heather Feuchtenberger (Elizabethton, Tenn.) finished with a time of 5:06.54.

• In the women's 800m, sophomore Jessica Lord (Morristown, Tenn.) set a personal record with a time of 2:11.23, while Feuchtenberger doubled up and clocked in at 2:16.82 following her mile run.

• In the men’s mile, senior Wes Pectol (Greeneville, Tenn.) led a quartet of Bucs with a time of 4:12.63 to place 11th. Sophomore Josh Routh (Gray, Tenn.) PR’ed right behind him at 4:13.96, while Ben O’Connor (Statesville, N.C.) set his third straight PR with a time of 4:20.39.

• For the first time as a Buccaneer, junior Neyasha Honorable (Knoxville, Tenn.) ran under 1:00.00 in the women’s 400 meter dash, sprinting to a 59.88 time.

• On the men’s side, senior Hunter Sampson (Salem, Va.) placed ninth in the 400 with a time of 49.63 — just three-tenths of a second off his PR.

• Senior Lamisha Simmons (Hollywood, Fla.) just missed out on qualifying for the 60 meter hurdles final against a loaded field, clocking the 14th best time at 8.81 seconds.

• Fellow senior sprinter Starr Graham (Alpharetta, Ga.) hit a new personal best in the 60 meter dash, crossing the line at 7.91 in the preliminaries.

• Two Bucs set new personal records in the women’s 3000m run, with sophomore Makayla Shaw (Jonesborough, Tenn.) erasing the previous by over 12 seconds at 10:25.34 and freshman Shila Kapaya (Knoxville, Tenn.) setting her new one at 10:34.32. 

• ETSU’s men’s 4x400m relay team placed second out of four with a time of 3:26.31, defeating teams from Alabama and Georgia Tech while Rice took the gold.

Field Highlights from Day Two

• Freshman Mekayla Brown (Elgin, S.C.) continues to lead ETSU in the triple jump after winning the event last week in Johnson City, setting a new personal best at 11.95m to win the first flight.

• Redshirt freshman Aliyah Hill (Snellville, Ga.) also PR’ed in the triple jump with a new best of 11.55m on her final attempt.

• Following a solid throw in yesterday’s men’s weight, senior Ben Johnson (Nashville, Tenn.) muscled out a 15.61m throw in the shot put — placing third in his flight. 

Up Next

The Bucs will have a bye week next weekend in preparation for the 2019 Southern Conference Indoor Championships, which are set for Feb. 23-24 inside the Corps Physical Training Facility in Lexington, Va.

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