Track and Field | 1/25/2019 11:13:00 PM

SALEM, Va.  Methodist's women's and men's indoor track & field teams received outstanding performances on the opening night of the two-day Finn Pincus Invitational at Roanoke (Va.) College's Cregger Center, as Makayla Lawler captured first place in the women's 5,000-meter run and Jeremy Prichard registered a second-place finish in the men's high jump.

Prichard cleared a height of 1.99 meters (6 feet, 6.25 inches) on his first attempt at the height before missing on three attempts at 2.04 meters. Prichard's cleared height ranks second regionally and 17th nationally (Division III) before the weekend's meet results are complete.

While Prichard was on the high jump apron, Methodist's Nathan Zauner was circling the oval in the men's 5,000, finishing 15th with a time of 17 minutes, 4.13 seconds.

The Monarchs' night finished with Lawler breaking the tape at the end of the women's 5,000. Her winning time of 19:02.48 was an eye-popping 14 seconds ahead of the runner-up, Skyler Tait of Montreat (N.C.) College. Lawler recorded the 10th-fastest time in the region with Friday's result.

Lawler broke from the starting pack immediately, cruising through the first of her 25 laps over the 200-meter surface with a two second lead, and by the end of her second lap the cushion had grown to five seconds. At the 1,600-meter mark the space between her and the pack had ballooned to 12 seconds, allowing the USA South Athletic Conference cross country champion to cruise to victory over Tait.

Methodist returns to the Cregger Center Saturday morning to complete the final day of the Invitational, which begins at 11 a.m.