Fifteen Bucs qualify for finals on Sunday

LEXINGTON, Va. (Feb. 25, 2023) – Highlighted by five podium finishes and 15 Buccaneers advancing to the finals in their respective events on Sunday, the ETSU men’s and women’s track and field teams completed day one of the Southern Conference Indoor Championships on Saturday inside VMI Corps Physical Training Facility.

The Blue & Gold took home silver medals in both the men’s and women’s 3000m thanks to strong efforts by Brayden Hamblen (Rock Falls, Ill.) and Kiera Snyder (Clyde Mich.). Hamblen finished in 8:24.08, while Snyder set a PR with a time of 9:34.01. The Buccaneer men finished second in the distance medley relay (10:02.88), while the women – who had set two school records in the event during the regular season – placed third with a time of 12:03.93. Local product Logan Wagner (Greeneville, Tenn.) set a personal best in the shot put en route to finishing third with a mark of 14.29m.  

PODIUM FINISHES

Second Place – Kiera Snyder (3000m); Brayden Hamblen (3000m); Men’s DMR (Phelani Maduwa, Conner Overly, Miguel Parrilla, Myles Stoots)

Third Place – Logan Wagner (Shot Put); Women’s DMR (Jessica Lord, Hannah Burkhart, Julia Karsten, Rebekah Howard)

TEAM SCORING

Through day one, the Buccaneer women sit in third-place with 28 points. Samford holds the lead with 82 points and Wofford in second with 50 points. 

The ETSU men’s team scored 30.5 points and sit in fourth-place – 4.5 points behind Furman. Samford holds the lead with 55.5 points and Western Carolina is second with 37 points.

SCORING PERFORMANCES

Chanelle Kruger (Johannesburg, South Africa) joined Snyder with a scoring effort in the 3000m as she placed fifth with a personal best time of 9:40.69. In the men’s 3000m, Evan Guzman (Franklin, Tenn.) joined Hamblen with a scoring performance. Guzman finished fourth with a time of 8:27.50. 

In women’s shot put, Anna Moore (Knoxville, Tenn.) scored three points as she placed sixth with a distance of 11.54m.

Following his efforts in the heptathlon – where he sits sixth with 3,260 points – freshman Ethan Fulford (Knoxville, Tenn.) scored in the pole vault as he cleared 4.35m, finishing tied for fifth and setting a new PR. In the heptathlon, Fulford earned 690 points in the 60m (7.57), 577 points in the high jump (1.74m), 560 points in the shot put (11.24m) and 533 points in the long jump (5.75m). To go with his personal best in the pole vault, Fulford set all new bests in the heptathlon events on Saturday.

The Bucs got a pair of scoring performances in the women’s long jump as Tya Blake (Lynchburg, Va.) placed sixth with a personal best leap of 5.44m and Molly Rhudy (Chilhowie, Va.) was eighth (5.39m). In the high jump, Jaclyn Wright (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) placed sixth with a mark of 1.58m, securing three points for the Blue and Gold.

QUALIFIERS FOR SUNDAY’S FINALS

Women’s 800m

Jessica Lord – 2:11.92 (2nd)

Julia Karsten – 2:16.21 (3rd)

Genevieve Schwarz – 2:18.38 (6th)

Women’s Mile

Rebekah Howard – 5:04.70 (4th)

Chanelle Kruger – 5:04.75 (5th)

Genevieve Schwarz – 5:08.07 (7th)

Men’s 800m

Miguel Parrilla – 1:52.64 (1st)

Phelani Maduwa – 1:52.67 (2nd)

Conner Overly – 1:54.59 (5th)*

Josh Krafsur – 1:55.63 (7th)

Men’s Mile

Myles Stoots – 4:17.12 (2nd)

Nathan Hillis – 4:17.23 (4th)

Josh Krafsur – 4:17.26 (6th)

Evan Guzman – 4:17.29 (7th) 

Men’s 60m

D’Shawn Fletcher – 6.94 (7th)*

*Personal Best   

SATURDAY’S ALL-FRESHMAN SELECTIONS

Five Buccaneers earned all-freshman honors following their events on Saturday. Below is the list of ETSU athletes who received the accolade: 

Logan Wagner – Shot Put (14.29m)*

Ethan Fulford – Pole Vault (4.35m)*

Xian Campbell – 3000m (8:39.83)

Anaya Young – Long Jump (4.75m)*

Chanelle Kruger – 3000m (9:40.69)*

*Personal Best  

The second and final day of the championships get underway Sunday morning at 9 a.m. with the heptathlon. Fans can follow live scoring via SnapTiming, while ESPN+ will have the video stream starting at Noon.  

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