HICKORY, N.C. — The Tusculum University men’s track and field team earned a third-place finish and the Pioneer women placed sixth at the South Atlantic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship, which concluded Thursday at Lenoir-Rhyne University.
Sophomore Isaiah Olson was honored as Men’s Track Athlete of the Meet after earning three medals on Thursday, winning the 100 meters and running the second leg of the Pioneers’ winning 4×100-meter relay with senior Jordan Taylor, freshman Lansford Cunningham and senior Marquel Pittman. The South Greene graduate also claimed a bronze medal in the 200 meters to help account for 26 of the Pioneers’ 89 points at the meet.
The Pioneer women did not take any gold medals on Thursday after freshman Caley Sosnowski won the javelin on Wednesday, but Tusculum had second-place showings from sophomore Theresa Green-White in the 100 hurdles along with the 4×400-meter relay.
Both Tusculum teams gained three positions from last year’s SAC Outdoor Championship, with the men increasing their point total from 57 to 89 and the women from 26 to 47. The third-place outdoor finish was the best-ever for the Tusculum men and backed up their third-place showing at February’s SAC Indoor Championship, while the Pioneer women’s sixth-place showing was its best since taking fifth in 2019.
MEN’S RECAP
Olson and Taylor led a one-two Tusculum finish in the 100 meters, with Olson taking the gold at 10.52 seconds and Taylor the silver at 10.56 seconds, with Pittman placing seventh in 10.81 seconds.
The duo also placed in the 200 meters, as Olson finished third in 21.07 seconds and Taylor took fourth in 21.13 seconds followed by Cunningham in sixth in 21.39 seconds. Olson’s time was a career best and the fourth-fastest in program history.
Tusculum’s 4×100 relay of Taylor, Olson, Cunningham and Pittman had the second-best time in program history at 40.07 seconds, just off the record of 39.98 seconds set last May 13 at the Lee Last Chance meet. The 4×400 relay of graduate student Zack Nelson, Cunningham, grad student Antonio Aparicio and senior Dorian Craven broke the program record and took third place with a time of 3:10.73, besting the old mark of 3:14.20 set at the 2022 SAC Championship by nearly 3 1/2 seconds.
In the 400 meters, Craven finished fifth at 48.16 seconds and Nelson took eighth in 49.34 seconds. Craven set a career best for the second straight day and had the seventh-best time in program history in the event.
Tusculum also scored in both hurdles events, as sophomore Daryl Smith Jr. was fifth in the 400 hurdles at 53.39 seconds and senior Jamal Cash was seventh in the 110 hurdles at 15.38 seconds. Smith knocked .67 seconds off his prelims time and had the second-fastest time in program history.
Smith was second in the triple jump with a mark of 15.03 meters (49 feet, 3 3/4 inches), the second-best jump of his career and third-best in program history. Junior Joshua Stephens was sixth at 14.51 meters (47 feet, 7 1/4 inches), his career-best jump and the eighth-best in program history.
In throws, sophomore Adrian Gumm placed third in the shot put at 15.26 meters (50 feet, 3/4 inch) and sophomore Gavin Rowell was fifth with a career-best throw of 14.33 meters (47 feet, 1/4 inch). Rowell took seventh place in the discus with a top mark of 41.49 meters (136 feet, 1 inch).
Wingate piled up 250 points as a team to win the championship, with Lenoir-Rhyne in second at 158.5 points and the Pioneers third with 89 points, ahead of fourth-place Newberry (75 points) and fifth-place Anderson (48 points).
WOMEN’S RECAP
Green-White tied her program record for the second straight race in the 100 hurdles, running 13.92 seconds to place second. She also finished seventh in the 100 meters with a time of 12.23 seconds.
Sophomore Kiera Taylor was fourth in the 200 meters at 24.54 seconds, the third-fastest time in program history, and finished fifth in the 100 meters at 12.14 seconds.
Tusculum’s 4×400 relay of Taylor, freshman Alonda Shelton, junior Jada Martin and freshman McKenzie Morton shattered the program record and took second place with a time of 3:51.60. They broke the old program record of 3:53.18 set at the 2019 SAC Championship. The 4×100 relay of Taylor, Shelton, Green-White and freshman Kieley Smith took third place at 47.18 seconds.
Smith competed in the heptathlon and compiled 3,799 points to finish eighth overall in a field of 11 competitors. Her best event was the 200 meters, in which she accumulated 742 points with a time of 26.64 seconds.
Wingate won the team title with 261.5 points, with host Lenoir-Rhyne in second at 190.75 points and Anderson third at 75.75 points. Carson-Newman (65 points) edged out Catawba (62 points) for fourth and fifth, respectively, with Tusculum’s 47 points good for sixth place ahead of seventh-place Limestone (37 points).
South Atlantic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship – Day 2 of 2
Tusculum results
MEN
100: 1. Isaiah Olson, 10.52; 2. Jordan Taylor, 10.56; 7. Marquel Pittman, 10.81.
110 hurdles: 7. Jamal Cash, 15.38.
200: 3. Isaiah Olson, 21.07; 4. Jordan Taylor, 21.13; 6. Lansford Cunningham, 21.39.
400: 5. Dorian Craven, 48.16; 8. Zack Nelson, 49.34.
400 hurdles: 5. Daryl Smith Jr., 53.39.
5000: 11. Sam Shipp, 15:17.36.
4×100: 1. Tusculum (Taylor, Olson, Cunningham, Pittman), 40.07.
4×400: 2. Tusculum (Nelson, Cunningham, Aparicio, Craven), 3:10.73 (school record).
Discus: 7. Gavin Rowell, 41.49m (136-1); 11. Adrian Gumm, 38.28m (125-7); 20. Noah Girard, 35.78m (117-4).
Shot put: 3. Adrian Gumm, 15.26m (50-3/4); 5. Gavin Rowell, 14.33m (47-1/4); 11. Dylan Horne, 13.43m (44-3/4).
High jump: 21. Hunter Burkey, 1.71m (5-7 1/4).
Triple jump: 2. Daryl Smith Jr., 15.03m (49-3 3/4); 6. Joshua Stephens, 14.51m (47-7 1/4).
Team scores: 1. Wingate 250; 2. Lenoir-Rhyne 158.5; 3. Tusculum 89; 4. Newberry 75; 5. Anderson 48; 6. Catawba 47; 7. Limestone 41; 8. Carson-Newman 40; 9. Mars Hill 37; 10. Lincoln Memorial 17; 11. UVA Wise 7.5; 12. Coker 3; 13. Emory & Henry 2.
WOMEN
100: 5. Kiera Taylor, 12.14; 7. Theresa Green-White, 12.23.
100 hurdles: 2. Theresa Green-White, 13.92 (ties school record).
200: 4. Kiera Taylor, 24.54.
4×100: 3. Tusculum (Taylor, Shelton, Green-White, Smith), 47.18.
4×400: 2. Tusculum (Taylor, Shelton, Martin, Morton), 3:51.60 (school record).
Discus: 19. Amber Hogan, 28.14m (92-4).
Shot put: 15. Amber Hogan, 10.49m (34-5).
Heptathlon: 8. Kieley Smith, 3,799 points.
Team scores: 1. Wingate 261.5; 2. Lenoir-Rhyne 190.75; 3. Anderson 75.75; 4. Carson-Newman 65; 5. Catawba 62; 6. Tusculum 47; 7. Limestone 37; 8. Lincoln Memorial 28; 9. Newberry 24; 10. UVA Wise 11; 11. Coker 10; 12. Emory & Henry 6; 13. Mars Hill 1.
