ETSU earns four opening day wins, men’s currently rank second after Day One 

LEXINGTON, Va. (Feb. 23, 2019) – The ETSU Track and Field team earned four victories and had a number of scorers in Day One of the Southern Conference Indoor Championships at the Corps Physical Training Facility on Saturday.

On the men’s side, ETSU brought home three of a possible five gold medals and currently sit in second place in the conference standings. Freshman Khiara White (Stone Mountain, Ga.) had ETSU’s win for the women, who currently rank fourth as a team in the standings.

Among the highlights for the Bucs, the men’s distance medley relay team broke the tape for a second straight season with a time of 10:00.71, ending the day on an exciting note.

Track Highlights from Day One

• The winning men’s DMR team consisted of senior Wes Pectol (Greeneville), senior Hunter Sampson (Salem, Va.), junior Khayvonn Benson (Marietta, Ga.) and junior Adam Bradtmueller (Sarasota, Fla.).

• Sophomore Ben Varghese (Kingsport) picked up 10 points with a win in the men’s 3000m run with a time of 8:24.65. Noah Charles (Johnson City) also scored in the event with a sixth place finish.

• Redshirt freshman Lindsey Stallworth (Knoxville) both scored and earned SoCon all-freshman honors with a fourth place showing in the women’s 3K — setting a new personal record at 9:32.36.

• The Bucs had a number of qualifiers for tomorrow’s track finals, including three sprinters in the women’s 60 meter dash — senior Kiana Davis (Ooltewah) and freshmen Lanaya Martin (Columbia, S.C.) and Mekayla Brown (Elgin, S.C.). 

• Senior Lamisha Simmons (Hollywood, Fla.) and Martin will both pull double duty tomorrow, as both athletes will compete in the women’s 60 meter hurdles final. Simmons will also run in the women’s 200 meter dash along with senior Starr Graham (Alpharetta, Ga.).

• Redshirt sophomore Vicki Franse (Clinton) recorded the fastest qualifying time in the women’s 400 meter and will look to win the title in tomorrow’s final.

• Benson, who was part of the winning DMR team, will represent the Blue and Gold after having the fastest qualifying time in the men’s 800 meter run. 

• Sophomore Jessica Lord (Morristown) will compete in the women’s 800 meter final after qualifying in Saturday’s prelims.

• Multisport athlete Kashif Warren (Knoxville) turned in a solid sprint in the men’s 60 meter dash prelims, qualifying for the finals.

• Freshman Genevieve Schwarz (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) competed in her first conference meet over the weekend, qualifying alongside Stallworth for tomorrow’s women’s mile.

• Schwarz, along with three other Bucs, ran in the women’s DMR and scored a fourth place finish for five points.

Field Highlights from Day One

• Senior Ben Johnson (Nashville) set a new personal best in the men’s shot put with a toss of 16.39 meters, taking the gold in the event. Johnson will look to sweep the throws tomorrow as an entrant in the men’s weight throw — currently ranking No. 17 in the NCAA.

• Freshman Khiara White (Stone Mountain, Ga.) was the lone female winner on Saturday, shattering her personal best in the women’s long jump at 6.01 meters for 10 points.

• The Bucs had two more scorers in the long jump, as freshman Mekayla Brown (Elgin, S.C.) and senior Nyambi Shoates (Atlanta, Ga.) both finished in the top eight to combine for six points.

• In the women’s shot put, sophomore Symphony Buxton (Knoxville) scored three points with a mark of 13.31 meters.

ETSU’s SoCon All-Freshmen — Day One

• Khiara White — Women’s long jump
• Mekayla Brown — Women’s long jump
• Lindsey Stallworth — Women’s 3000m
• Shila Kapaya — Women’s 3000m

Men’s results – Day One

1. Western Carolina – 50.5 points

2. ETSU – 33

T3. Furman – 31

T3. The Citadel – 31

5. Samford – 30.5

6. VMI – 12

7. Wofford – 4

8. UNCG – 3

Women’s results – Day One

1. Samford – 69 points

2. Western Carolina – 53

3. Furman – 34

4. ETSU – 30

5. Wofford – 22

6. VMI – 16

7. Chattanooga – 8 

8. The Citadel – 2

Up Next

Day Two of the meet begins tomorrow with heptathlon events at 9 a.m. ETSU will start its day with senior Yohana Koko (Alcoa) in the men’s triple jump set for 10 a.m.

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For more information on ETSU track and field, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the track and field pages. Also, follow the program on Twitter @ETSU_TF_XC and on Instagram at the handle @etsuxctf.