Howard, Burkhart, Karsten and Schwarz make history in the Music City

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 20, 2023) – The Bucs enjoyed a record-breaking moment on Friday in the Music City.

The group of Rebekah Howard (Ashland, Ky.), Hannah Burkhart (Knoxville, Tenn.), Julia Karsten (Old Hickory, Tenn.) and Genevieve Schwarz (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) broke the women’s distance medley relay school record at the Vanderbilt Invitational. The squad of talented runners finished second overall in the race with a time of 11:46.68 inside the Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility.  

The record is 10 seconds better than the previous mark of 11:56.63, set in 2018 by Emily Williams, Jessica Lord, Heather Feuchtenberger and Kaitlyn Lay.

The running order of the race consisted of Howard starting things off, followed by Burkhart, then Karsten and Schwarz finished the race. The Bucs held steady the entire race as they never dipped below third in the 11-team field.  

Over the first 1000m, Howard clocked in at 2:58.04, while ETSU jumped into second at the 1600m checkpoint with a time of 4:33.86. The Blue and Gold were in third at the 2500m mark (7:10), but Schwarz finished strong as she jumped into second at the 3700m mark (10:53.30) and registered the fastest 300m as she closed in 53.38 en route to ETSU capturing the silver medal.

Staying on the track, senior Brayden Hamblen (Rock Falls, Ill.) finished the night with a personal best race in the men’s 5000m, as he placed fourth in the 30-runner field with a time of 14:28.50. Hamblen was in the middle of the pack near the midway point of the race, but passed 13 runners over the final 2400m to post a top-five finish. Hamblen’s previous best in the event was 14:54.35, set last year at the VertKlasse Meeting where he won the race.

Freshman Ethan Fulford (Knoxville, Tenn.) was the first Buccaneer to begin the day as he was showcased in the heptathlon. Through the first four events, Fulford is 14th with 2,187 points.  

The Knoxville native collected 665 points in the 60m as he finished with a time of 7.65, while he placed ninth in the shot put with a toss of 10.41m, resulting in 510 points. Fulford then added 520 points in the high jump (1.67m) and 492 points in the long jump (5.85m). Overall, Fulford set personal bests in all four events on Friday.  

Fulford finishes the final three events on Saturday, beginning with the 60m hurdles at 9:30 a.m.  

Following the multis, men’s shot put opens the field events at 11 a.m., while the opening round of the women’s 60m hurdles starts the track events at 1 p.m.  

Fans can watch the events on SECN+, while live results can be accessed via Prime Time Timing.  

For more information on Buccaneer men’s and women’s track and field, visit ETSUBucs.com.