NASHVILLE, Tenn. & LIBERTY, Va. (Feb. 11, 2022) – Eleven Buccaneers set personal bests as ETSU men’s and women’s track and field had squads competing at both the Music City Challenge and Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational on Friday.

MUSIC CITY CHALLENGE RECAP

In Nashville, four Bucs posted their fastest marks in the mile inside the Vanderbilt Multipurpose Complex. On the women’s side, Genevieve Schwarz (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) and Rebekah Howard (Ashland, Ky.) enjoyed record-setting runs, while Gavin Cooper (Jacksboro, Tenn.) and Brayden Hamblen (Rock Hill, Ill.) did the same in the men’s mile.

Schwarz, the reigning SoCon Track Athlete of the Week, finished 12th in a loaded field –featuring primarily SEC and Big 10 runners – with a time of 4:46.05. Schwarz’s time was seven seconds faster than her previous best, while Howard shaved 12 seconds off her mark, finishing in 5:10.31.

On the men’s side, Cooper clocked in at 4:13.00 – four seconds better than his top time – and Hamblen was right behind in 4:14.39.

On Saturday, the Bucs will have runners in both the 800m and 3000m. Please click here for a full meet schedule. Live scoring will be provided via PrimeTime Timing, while video will be available on SEC Network Plus.

DARIUS DIXON MEMORIAL INVITATIONAL RECAP

The other group of ETSU student-athletes were competing nearly 500 miles northeast inside the Liberty Track Complex.

Seven Buccaneers set personal bests at the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational, beginning with Ant’wonike Jennings (Chattanooga, Tenn.) setting new top times in the 60m (8.14) and 60m hurdles (9.45). Ja’Ciya Guthrie (Gastonia, N.C.) also turned in a PR in the 60m hurdles, clocking in at 9.45.

Meanwhile, Nicole Johnson (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and LaNaya Martin (Columbia, S.C.) both advanced to the final in the 60m. Johnson turned in the fourth-fastest time in the semifinals at 7.67 and Martin was eighth in 7.70. The Buccaneer duo will run for gold on Saturday at 12:15 p.m.

Freshman Ansley Archuleta (Fort Mill, S.C.) posted a personal best in the pole vault, clearing 3.10m, while Alyssa Ceja-Pena (Salinas, Calif.), Rebecca Avery (Jefferson City, Tenn.) and Anna Moore (Knoxville, Tenn.) all set new personal bests in the weight throw. Ceja-Pena bested her top mark by over six feet with a heave of 16.05m, Avery’s toss of 15.04m was over four-feet better than her previous best and Moore posted a mark of 13.17m. Symphony Buxton (Knoxville, Tenn.) led all the ETSU throwers with a sixth-place showing in the event at 17.90m, snapping her run of back-to-back wins in the event.

On the men’s side Tyrese Grant (Summerville, S.C.) set a personal best in the prelims of the 60m (7.31), while he posted his top mark as a Buccaneer in the long jump (6.22m).

Day two of the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational gets underway Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Please click here for a full meet schedule. Live scoring will be provided via Blue Ridge Timing.

For more information on ETSU track and field, visit ETSUBucs.com.