HICKORY, N.C. — Powered by its sprinters, the Tusculum University women’s outdoor track and field team earned a third-place finish at the South Atlantic Conference Outdoor Championship at Lenoir-Rhyne University on Thursday.
Juniors Jahzara Hart and Shanice Cox and freshman Kori Moore each medaled twice for the Pioneers, with junior Theresa Green-White winning her second consecutive conference championship in the 100-meter hurdles. Tusculum’s women had three school-record performances during Thursday’s competition and had 15 scoring performances across seven events, including 12 in running events on Thursday.
Pioneer coach Robert Williams was recognized by his peers by being voted the SAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year after leading the Pioneers to the best finish in program history, surpassing its fifth-place showing in 2019. It marked the second straight year that the Pioneers have gained three positions in the team standings, as Tusculum’s women were sixth in 2024 and ninth place in 2023.
The Pioneer men finished 10th overall, earning a school record in the shot put from junior Adrian Gumm who placed third in the event.
WOMEN’S RECAP
Green-White ran 13.50 seconds in the 100 hurdles to finish off her second straight indoor-outdoor sweep, after winning the 60 hurdles the last two years at the SAC Indoor Championship. Moore placed second with a season-best time of 13.73 seconds as Tusculum took the top two spots in the event. Green-White’s time of 13.50 seconds is currently the fourth-fastest in Division II this season.
The Pioneers had five runners in the finals in the 200 meters, with Hart placing second at 23.99 seconds and Cox taking third at 24.37 seconds. Moore was fifth at 24.87 seconds, followed by freshman Qitarah Castlin in sixth at 24.92 seconds and junior Kiera Taylor in eighth at 25.34 seconds.
In the 100 meters, Hart and Cox repeated their two-three finish as Hart ran 11.45 seconds and Cox was timed at 11.68 seconds. Castlin was fourth with a season-best time of 11.73 seconds, with Green-White taking sixth at 12.03 seconds.
Grad student Tashianna Gray broke her own school record in the 400 meters for the second straight day and the fourth time this season, running 55.75 in the finals to take sixth place.
The 4×400 relay of Moore, sophomore Alonda Shelton, Gray and sophomore McKenzie Morton took third place to clinch third in the final standings for the Pioneers, with a time of 3:46.40 that shattered the previous record of 3:51.60 set at last year’s SAC Championship.
Junior Danyell Booker placed fourth in the shot put with a mark of 11.95 meters (39 feet, 2 1/2 inches) while sophomore Kieley Smith broke her own program record in the heptathlon as she placed fifth overall with 4,131 points. Smith bettered her previous best of 3,799 points set at the 2024 SAC Championship.
Wingate piled up 249 points to easily capture the team title, with Lenoir-Rhyne in second with 113 points and Tusculum taking third with 82 points, just ahead of Catawba (79 points), Anderson (73 points) and Lincoln Memorial (71 points).
MEN’S RECAP
Junior Isaiah Olson medaled for the second straight year in the 100 meters, taking third place with a time of 10.42 seconds.
Gumm broke his own school record in the shot put with a third-place finish of 15.78 meters (51 feet, 9 1/4 inches), with junior Gavin Rowell in sixth place at 14.67 meters (48 feet, 1 3/4 inches).
In the triple jump, senior Joshua Stephens had a fourth-place finish with a mark of 14.64 meters (48 feet, 1/2 inch).
Wingate had 220 points to win the team championship over Lenoir-Rhyne (134 points) and Carson-Newman (64.5 points), with Catawba (64.5 points) and Anderson (62 points) rounding out the top five.
South Atlantic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship
at Hickory, North Carolina – Final results
WOMEN
100: 2. Jahzara Hart, 11.45; 3. Shanice Cox, 11.68; 4. Qitarah Castlin, 11.73; 6. Theresa Green-White, 12.03; Kiera Taylor, FS.
100 hurdles: 1. Theresa Green-White, 13.50; 2. Kori Moore, 13.73.
200: 2. Jahzara Hart, 23.99; 3. Shanice Cox, 24.37; 5. Kori Moore, 24.87; 6. Qitarah Castlin, 24.92; 8. Kiera Taylor, 25.34.
400: 6. Tashianna Gray, 55.75 (school record).
4×100: Tusculum (Taylor, Cox, Green-White, Hart), DQ.
4×400: 3. Tusculum (Moore, Shelton, Gray, Morton), 3:46.40 (school record).
Heptathlon: 5. Kieley Smith, 4,131 points (school record).
Discus: 14. Amber Hogan, 30.86m (101-3).
Shot put: 4. Danyell Booker, 11.95m (39-2 1/2); 19. Amber Hogan, 10.43m (34-2 3/4).
Team scores: 1. Wingate 249; 2. Lenoir-Rhyne 113; 3. Tusculum 82; 4. Catawba 79; 5. Anderson 73; 6. Lincoln Memorial 71; 7. Newberry 37; 8. Carson-Newman 33; 9. Limestone 24; 10. UVA Wise 21; 11. Mars Hill 20; 12. Coker 12; 13. Emory & Henry 4.
MEN
100: 3. Isaiah Olson, 10.42.
4×400: 9. Tusculum (Bogus, Ross, Stephens, Pickett), 3:22.10.
Triple jump: 4. Joshua Stephens, 14.64m (48-1/2).
Discus: 11. Gavin Rowell, 40.32m (132-3); 14. Adrian Gumm, 39.48m (129-6); 23. Jaden Gary, 35.73m (117-2); 26. Michael McGrath, 34.30m (112-6).
Shot put: 3. Adrian Gumm, 15.78m (51-9 1/4) (school record); 6. Gavin Rowell, 14.67m (48-1 3/4); 13. Dylan Horne, 13.68m (44-10 3/4); 17. Jaden Gary, 12.96m (42-6 1/4); 18. Richard Burney, 12.93m (42-5 1/4).
Team scores: 1. Wingate 220; 2. Lenoir-Rhyne 134; 3. Carson-Newman 92; 4. Catawba 64.5; 5. Anderson 62; 6. Limestone 50; 7. Emory & Henry 44; 8. Mars Hill 40; 8. Newberry 40; 10. Tusculum 33; 11. Lincoln Memorial 13; 12. UVA Wise 12.5; 13. Coker 10.
