EMORY, Va. — The Tusculum University men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams opened competition at the South Atlantic Conference Championship on Wednesday. The two-day, 12-team meet is being held at the Food City Sports Complex and will conclude with 16 events on Thursday.
The Tusculum women advanced 10 runners into Thursday’s finals, while the Pioneer men advanced eight to the finals of running events. Wednesday’s competition was disrupted by a weather delay late in the day along with high winds throughout the afternoon that affected times and marks.
Junior Lansford Cunningham took second place in the men’s long jump for the Pioneers, helping Tusculum to a tie for seventh place after five of 21 events. The Pioneer women have yet to score in the meet through five events.
Competition for the Pioneers will resume on Thursday with the women’s javelin at 7:30 a.m., and will conclude with the 4×400-meter relays at 5:30 p.m.
WOMEN’S RECAP
Sophomore Qitarah Castlin and seniors Jahzara Hart and Shanice Cox are the top three qualifiers for Thursday’s finals in both the 100 and 200 meters. Castlin is the top seed in both events after running 11.21 seconds in the 100 and 23.61 in the 200. Hart is seeded second in the 100 at 11.28 seconds and third in the 200 at 23.86 seconds, while Cox is the second seed in the 200 with a time of 23.73 seconds and third in the 100 at 11.44 seconds.
Sophomore Kori Moore and junior Kialia Claiborne each advanced to the finals in the 100 and 400 hurdles, with Moore running 13.74 in the 100 to place second and Claiborne fifth at 14.19 seconds. In the 400 hurdles, Claiborne is seeded seventh at 1:03.83 with Moore in eighth at 1:04.21.
Junior Kieley Smith in third in the heptathlon after four of seven events with 2,542 points, with her best performance in the 200 meters where she ran 26.71 seconds to earn 736 points. Smith will compete in the final three heptathlon events (long jump, javelin and 800 meters) on Thursday.
MEN’S RECAP
Cunningham, who was second in the long jump at the SAC Indoor Championship and sixth at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championship, waited out a weather delay in the middle of the event to take silver with a jump of 7.11 meters (23 feet, 4 inches) after he was third through the preliminary jumps.
Sophomore Tinotenda Musariri advanced to the finals of both the 100 meters and 200 meters, and is seeded fifth in both events after running 10.37 seconds in the 100 and 21.13 seconds in the 200.
Freshman Ivan Garcia Rubio moved to the finals in both hurdles events, placing fifth in the 110 hurdles and setting a school record at 14.57 seconds, and taking eighth in the 400 hurdles at 57.19 seconds. Joining Garcia Rubio in the 400 hurdles finals are freshman Tomas Figueiras who was second in 55.38 seconds and sophomore John Ross who placed fifth in 56.74 seconds.
Freshman Tomas Ribeiro will be the top seed in the 800 finals after qualifying with a time of 1:54.88, and junior Chazz Alexander is seeded fourth in the 400 meters finals with a time of 48.76 seconds.
In the decathlon, sophomore Justin Williams is fifth through five events with 2,969 points, with junior Nour Nabi in eighth with 2,159 points.
South Atlantic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship
at Emory, Va.
Day 1 of 2
Tusculum results
MEN
100: 5. Tinotenda Musariri, 10.37 (advances); 16. Lansford Cunningham, 10.60.
110 hurdles: 5. Ivan Garcia Rubio, 14.57 (school record/advances); 10. Justin Williams, 15.16; 12. Jamal Cash, 15.62.
200: 5. Tinotenda Musariri, 21.13 (advances); 19. Lansford Cunningham, 21.92; Chazz Alexander, DNF.
400: 4. Chazz Alexander, 48.76 (advances); 14. Lamarkus Dunn, 49.57; 25. Marshae McDonald, 51.15.
400 hurdles: 2. Tomas Figueiras, 55.38 (advances); 5. John Ross, 56.74 (advances); 8. Ivan Garcia Rubio, 57.19 (advances); 10. Jamal Cash, 57.56.
800: 1. Tomas Ribeiro, 1:54.88 (advances); 29. Levi Carson, 2:10.30.
1500: 17. Albert Ziegler, 4:12.10.
Long jump: 2. Lansford Cunningham, 7.11m (23-4); 25. Tomas Figueiras, 6.05m (19-10 1/4).
Decathlon (5 of 10 events): 5. Justin Williams, 2,969 points; 8. Nour Nabi, 2,159 points.
Team scores (5 of 21 events): 1. Wingate 77; 2. Anderson 29; 3. Emory & Henry 28; 4. Lenoir-Rhyne 12; 5. Newberry 11; 6. Mars Hill 9; 7. Tusculum 8; 7. Lincoln Memorial 8; 9. Catawba 7; 10. UVA Wise 6; Carson-Newman 0; Coker 0.
WOMEN
100: 1. Qitarah Castlin, 11.21 (advances); 2. Jahzara Hart, 11.28 (advances); 3. Shanice Cox, 11.44 (advances); 9. Kialia Claiborne, 11.99; 12. Alonda Shelton, 12.27.
100 hurdles: 2. Kori Moore, 13.74 (advances); 5. Kialia Claiborne, 14.19 (advances).
200: 1. Qitarah Castlin, 23.61 (advances); 2. Shanice Cox, 23.73 (advances); 3. Jahzara Hart, 23.86 (advances); 18. Alonda Shelton, 25.60.
400 hurdles: 7. Kialia Claiborne, 1:03.83 (advances); 8. Kori Moore, 1:04.21 (advances).
800: 12. Jesica Mbhamali, 2:22.65; 17. Hannah McLain, 2:26.09.
Long jump: 20. Kieley Smith, 4.98m (16-4 1/4); 28. Agustina Dittrich, 4.86m (15-11 1/2).
Heptathlon (4 of 7 events): 3. Kieley Smith, 2,542 points.
Team scores (5 of 21 events): 1. Wingate 81; 2. Catawba 44; 3. UVA Wise 18; 4. Lincoln Memorial 15; 5. Mars Hill 14; 6. Carson-Newman 10; 7. Lenoir-Rhyne 6; 8. Emory & Henry 5; 9. Anderson 1; 9. Newberry 1; Tusculum 0; Coker 0.
