Slew of Top-Eight Finishes Lead the Way for SFA Track and Field on Second Day of Carl Kight Invitational

Friday, April 6

Nacogdoches, Texas

ALL DAY

Stephen F. Austin

SFA Carl Kight Invitational

Slew of Top-Eight Finishes Lead the Way for SFA Track and Field on Second Day of Carl Kight Invitational

4/6/2018 11:03:00 PM | Track & Field

By: Kevin Meyer | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

Day Two Results | Full Multis Results

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin track and field team continued its strong showing at home on the second day of the 2018 Carl Kight Invitational, with its athletes securing a bevy of strong finishes across the board. The conclusion of the women's heptathlon and men's decathlon was followed by the distance carnival under the bright lights of Homer Bryce Stadium to close out the evening.

The heptathletes set the pace early, resuming competition at 9:00 a.m and continuing the strong performance they had begun on Thursday. Caitlin Lennon would finish in second in the event with 4961, a new personal best in the event, while teammate Jillian Turner finished in third at 4843, also a new personal best. Lennon would notch a new high in the javelin throw at 39.99m, and would also perform well in the 800m to close out the day, garnering 776 points with a time of 2:23.56. Turner put forth a consistently strong showing across the final three events, also notching a new personal best in the javelin (38.86m) while scoring over 600 points in all three day two events. Sammi Brashears moved up four spots on the second day of competition, securing a fifth place finish with a score of 4519, aided by a new PR in the javelin (32.87m). The men's decathlon also wrapped up, with Bradley Beaty finishing in eighth with a total of 6125, followed by Conner Wilbur in ninth (6102), Cord Neal in 12th (5735) and Tyji Yulee in 16th (5354).

In the distance carnival, the women's 1500m race featured a dominant performance from the Ladyjacks, led by freshman Kelsey Ramirez, who won the event with a mark of 4:36.70. Madison Compass (4:49.12), LaSean Davis (4:50.60) and Allison Compass (4:51.15) would place fifth, seventh and eighth, respectively. In the men's heat, Quinlin McGregor and Pedro Flores would take second and third with times of 3:54.16 and 3:58.71, respectively.

Brittany Innis would dominate the 3000m steeplechase, racing to a time of 10:53.68 to win the event by a sizeable margin. Teammate Taryn Surratt would cross the finish line in second with a mark of 11:24.71, while freshman Elizabeth Guerra gave SFA another runner inside the top eight with a sixth-place finish at 11:55.70. The women's 5000m run was also led by SFA runners, with freshman Christina Hernandez, running unattached, taking the top spot with a brisk 18:17.75 pace. Teammate Claire Crone gave SFA the official top finish by coming in next after Hernandez at 18:32.31.

A total of four Lumberjacks would run the 5000m to close out the day, with John Shirk finishing seventh with a time of 15:30.55, while Evan Barron came in eighth with a time of 15:45.55.

In the field events, Avery Ellis-Byerly placed sixth in the javelin throw with a mark of 33.92m to lead the way for SFA, while Noah Berney placed fourth in the javelin for the Lumberjacks, reaching a mark of 52.34m. Mallory Dotson would place sixth in the women's shot put with a throw of 13.39m, while Kevin Steward placed third in the men's competition with a distance of 16.24m.

Dakota Mayr won the women's pole vault with a height of 4.00m, while Kaylee Bizzell placed fifth with a height of 3.70m. Chad Horstmann placed second on the men's side at 5.10m, while Hunter Krc came in fifth at 4.90m and Carter Scott cleared 4.75m to finish sixth.

Taking the top spot in the men's long jump was Denzel Green, who jumped to a distance of 7.65m to lead the pack. A 6-7-8 finish was in the cards for SFA in the women's long jump, as Aolani Harris (5.64m), Kariyah Lanehart (5.57m) and Kadejah Wilson (5.45m) rounded out the top eight in the event, respectively.

The meet will conclude tomorrow, beginning at 9:00 a.m with the conclusion of the field events and carrying into the sprints and relays in the afternoon. Prior to the 4x400 relay to end the meet, SFA's 14-member senior class will be recognized in a special ceremony at midfield.

-SFA-