Track & Field stands tall at Norfolk State Invitational

NORFOLK, Va. – Facing competition primarily against the upper two NCAA divisions, the Salisbury University track and field teams more than held their own at the Norfolk State Invitational on Saturday afternoon at William Price Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Men

Keifer Thomas picked up the Sea Gulls' only first-place finish on the day, winning the javelin throw with a distance of 48.99 meters (160-9).
In his long-awaited season debut, Rashawn Markman finished second in the triple jump at 14.49 meters (47-6.5). An All-American in the triple jump last spring, Markman now ranks ninth in Division III in the event this season. Markman also finished eighth in the long jump at 6.84 meters (22-5.25).
Kai Smith set a pair of personal records on the way to a pair of top-15 finishes. Smith finished eighth in the 400-meter run in 48.82 seconds and clocked in at 13th in the 200-meter dash in 21.75 seconds.
Luis Smith earned a pair of top-three finishes in the hammer throw and shot put. Smith finished second in the hammer with a personal-best 47.39 meters (155-6) and tied a personal record to finish third in the shot put at 14.31 meters (46-11.5).
In the hammer throw, Jacob Reeves (personal-best 41.18m, 135-1) grabbed fifth place behind Smith's second, with Garrett Blasi (33.88m, 111-2) taking seventh and JJ McCauley (30.46m, 99-11) eighth.
Logan Kelsch finished second in the discus throw with a distance of 45.86 meters (150-5). Mason Breeze racked up a mark of 43.92 meters (144-1) to finish fifth, followed by McCauley (40.38m, 132-6) and Reeves (40.24m, 132-0) in ninth and 10th, respectively. All four men set personal records in the event.
The Sea Gulls placed five runners in the third through seventh places in the 5,000-meter run. Sam Bodmer led the pack with a third-place time of 16:26.61; he was followed by Austin Foote (16:38.66), Luke Petenbrink (16:45.80), Landon Lewicki (17:02.85) and Shane Ivy (17:06.33).
Sherrod Frye grabbed a sixth-place finish in the triple jump (13.75m, 45-1.5) and set or equaled personal records in three other events on the day. Frye finished 14th in the long jump (6.48m, 21-3.25), 21st in the 200-meter dash (21.97) and 23rd in the 100-meter dash (11.02).
Connor Kinch (personal-best 4:07.92) finished sixth in the 1,500-meter run to headline a trio of Sea Gull top-10 finishers. Jason Cave (4:11.14) crossed in eighth, and Matt Grossi (4:13.26) took ninth.
Tristan Dutton was the meet's only competitor in the 3,000-meter steeplechase; he crossed the finish line in 11:07.37.

Women

Lauren Knapp turned in another fine performance in the pole vault, clearing 2.90 meters (9-6.25) to finish fourth.
Allyson Wagner earned a fourth-place mark in the 5,000-meter run in 20:43.62.
Alyssa Santoro (5:08.08) finished eighth in the 1,500-meter run, while Madi Sisson (personal-best 5:08.61) came in half a second behind in ninth.
Marlyse Haack recorded a pair of top-12 marks and personal records, finishing 10th in the triple jump (10.49m, 34-5) and 12th in the long jump (5.01m, 16-5.25).
Kailey Jarboe finished 11th in the hammer throw (29.37m, 96-4), 12th in the shot put (personal-best 8.94m, 29-4) and 18th in the discus throw (27.46m, 90-1).
Rachel Roberts (12:41.99) and Leah Snyder (12:57.79) were the only two competitors in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in the meet.

UP NEXT

The Sea Gulls return home for their final home meet of the season, the Eastern Shore Challenge, next Saturday.
First events from the SU Track & Field Complex are set for 11 a.m.

Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, and dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on-and-off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 22 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 188 conference championships and 44 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or on social media @SUSeaGulls.

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