Track and Field | 12/3/2023 2:00:00 AM
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. The Methodist track and field team found success on Saturday at the Christopher Newport Holiday Open, earning numerous top-five finishes in both men's and women's competitions. This was the first indoor meet for the Monarchs this season.
THE ESSENTIALS
Event: CNU Holiday Open
Location: Vince Brown Track; Newport News, Virginia
TOP TRACK PERFORMANCES
- Alex Topoly placed first in the men's 3000-meter race, clocking a time of 9:21.83. After running around fourth for most of the race, he found another gear on the last lap, passing multiple competitors just before the finish line to earn the victory. Also earning top-ten finishes in the men's 3000m were Logan Williams (fifth place, 9:46.14), Will Gray (seventh place, 9:51.04) and Rafael Shilengitha (eighth place, 10:01.58).
- Topoly finished second in the men's mile run with a time of 4:30.68. Williams and Jack Barringer finished neck-and-neck for eighth and ninth place, recording times of 4:56.03 and 4:56.93 respectively.
- Brandi Gardner placed second in the women's 200-meter dash with a time of 27.08. She was the fastest in her heat, followed closely by Quierra Hawkins, whose time of 28.58 garnered an eighth-place finish in the event.
- In the men's 200-meter dash, Richard Staley proved to be the fastest in his heat. His time of 23.79 delivered a 10th-place finish in the event.
- Freshman Katena Morrison produced a strong showing in the women's 600-meter run, coming in just over three seconds behind the fastest runner. With a time of 1:52.83, she outpaced the other runners in her heat. Finishing fifth overall in the event, Patti Busch clocked in at 1:57.79.
TOP FIELD PERFORMANCES
- Earning another second-place result, Brandi Gardner nearly won the women's long jump with a best distance of 5.32 meters. For the men, Isaiah Cuthrell claimed 11th place with a jump of 6.10 meters.
- In men's shot put, E'Manuel Herbert led the Monarchs with a best throw of 11.28 meters – good enough for 11th place. Teammates Jonathon Steele and Tristan Bowser trailed in 12th and 13th with throws of 11.05 meters and 10.90 meters respectively.
- In men's weight throw, Alex Strickland recorded the furthest toss for Methodist, notching 11th place with a distance of 10.65 meters. Steele followed in 15th at 10.12 meters, while Herbert secured 17th with a distance of 9.00 meters.
- Jordan Pecorella was the top finisher for Methodist in both the women's weight throw and the women's shot put. She earned a seventh-place finish with a distance of 8.87 in the shot put and a ninth-place finish in the weight throw with a toss of 8.89 meters.
NEXT UP
Methodist's next meet will be after the new year begins.
