ETSU track and field finishes first events at split meets 

GAINESVILLE, Fla. / RALEIGH, N.C. (March 29, 2019) – The first two days of the Pepsi Florida Relays and the first day of the Raleigh Relays are both in the books, as ETSU track and field posted notable results Thursday and Friday.

Pepsi Florida Relay Highlights (Days 1 & 2)

• The lone event ETSU had entries in on Thursday was the women’s 200 meter dash with seniors Kiana Davis (Ooltewah), Lamisha Simmons (Hollywood, Fla.) and Starr Graham (Alpharetta, Ga.) representing the Blue and Gold.

• Davis led the bunch with a 24.26 time, which now sits as the top time in the Southern Conference. Simmons ran a 24.62 — ranking third in the SoCon, while Graham’s time of 25.29 ranks fifth on the conference performance list.

• Simmons set the new Southern Conference standard in the 100 meter hurdles on Friday, sprinting a time of 14.01 to grab first place on the leaderboard. She barely missed her PR of 13.97 on Friday.

• Davis ran a 12.19 in the 100 meter dash, which now ranks second in the conference.

Raleigh Relay Highlights (Day 1)

• Junior Noah Charles (Johnson City) topped his personal best with an impressive 3000m steeplechase performance, placing eighth with a time of 8:57.60. His time comfortably leads the Southern Conference. 

• Running her first-ever 5K during a women’s outdoor track season, distance specialist Lindsey Stallworth (Knoxville) placed 15th of 145 with a time of 16:21.66. Her time is the fastest in the conference by over a minute.

• In the men’s 5K, Ben Varghese (Kingsport) joined Stallworth as a conference leader, stopping the clock at 14:11.80 to place 34th of 146 athletes in the event. 

• Redshirt sophomore Vicki Franse (Clinton) had a solid day in the women’s 400 meter with a time of 56.63. She remains the conference leader at 56.60, while freshman Aliyah Hill (Snellville, Ga.) finished behind her at 58.39.

• Four Bucs competed in the men’s 1500, led by Matthew Scarr (Wamberal, NSW, Australia) with a time of 3:50.60 to place 28th, his new personal-best and within a second of Varghese’s leading conference time. 

• Senior transfer Wes Pectol (Greeneville, Tenn.) placed right behind Scarr in 35th, improving on his winning time from the Charlotte 49er invitational by nearly six seconds for a season-best. 

• Junior Khayvonn Benson (Marietta, Ga.) also had a personal record in the event, running a time of 3:54.53, placing third among Bucs and 55th overall against a deep field of over 100 runners.

• Freshman Genevieve Schwarz (Oak Ridge) had a personal best in the women’s 1500m with a time of 4:36.52, which moves her into third place on the SoCon leader board.

• Sophomore Heather Feuchtenberger (Elizabethton) finished at 4:41.72 in the women’s 1500, which currently ranks fifth on the conference performance list.

• Sophomore Jaden Finch (Glen Aubrey, N.Y.) launched a 41.21 in the women’s discus to narrowly miss a personal record. She currently ranks second on the SoCon performance list. Redshirt senior Ben Johnson (Nashville) also competed in the discus for the men, throwing a 39.57.

Up Next

The action continues Saturday for both squads, as the Pepsi Florida Relay group awaits the 4x100 and 4x200 relay events. The group at the Raleigh Relays will begin at 9:45 a.m. with Symphony Buxton (Knoxville) entered for the women’s hammer.

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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.