Winston–Salem, N.C.  Competing at the USA South Indoor Championship meet on Friday, the Methodist track & field program produced a strong showing, taking third place on both the men's and women's sides.
 
The men's team (122 points) fell in line with the expectation set by the conference's pre–championship poll, though coming short of second place by just nine points. The women's team outperformed their poll prediction of fifth place, totaling 60 points and beating out Pfeiffer by a four–point margin.
 
At the conclusion of the meet, Jeremiah Freeman was named Men's Field Athlete of the Meet for his strong performance on the day. The junior captured first place in the men's triple jump while also earning the bronze in the men's long jump.

THE ESSENTIALS
Event: USA South Indoor Track & Field Championships
Location: JDL Fast Track; Winston–Salem, North Carolina

TOP MEN'S PERFORMERS

• Freeman had a stupendous day in the sand pit. His first–place leap in the triple jump was 13.69m, while his third–place distance in the long jump was 6.52m. Both were personal bests.
• On the podium with Freeman in both events, David Dennis PR'ed in each, claiming second in the long jump with a leap of 6.80m and third in the triple jump with a mark of 13.24m.
• Completing a podium sweep for Methodist in the triple jump, Micah McCorvey took second (13.34m PR). McCorvey also had a stellar showing in the 60m hurdles, earning second place in the finals with a time of 8.83 seconds (PR).
• Showing off speed for the Monarchs, Logan Wade and Tydrick Stewart both placed top three in the 60m and the 200m. In the 60m finals, Wade claimed gold with his first–ever sub–seven second time (6.98) while Stewart took silver. In the 200m, Wade finished second with Stewart one spot behind.
• Carland Jones captured second place in the high jump, sailing to a mark of 1.90m. Komla Akogo also earned points in the event, taking fourth place.
• In the 800m race, Rafael Shilengitha took bronze with a personal–best time of 2:01.41.
• Claiming fifth–place points for Methodist in their respective events, Lavon Aiken had a jump of 6.49m (PR) in the long jump, Joseph Butler bounded 3.65m into the air during the pole vault competition, E'Manuel Herbert recorded a mark of 12.53m in the shot put, Joshua Antoine ran a 23.64 in the 200m, and Jack Barriger notched personal records in both the 3k (9:07.97) and the 5k (15:53.74).
• The 4x400m and distance medley relay teams both captured third place for Methodist. The 4x400 team consisted of Josiyah Woods, Antoine, Shilengitha and Richard Schieferstein, while the DMR team included Logan Williams, Schieferstein, Austin Ezzell and Shilengitha.

TOP WOMEN'S PERFORMERS

• Treazure Rosario Watson earned four medals on the day, including gold in both the long jump (5.31m) and triple jump (11.39m) after recording personal bests in both events. She took second place in the 400m with a time of 1:00.31, and also finished fourth in the 200m (26.72).
• Though narrowly missing the podium with fourth place finishes in both the long jump and triple jump, Katena Morrison took third in the 60m hurdles, posting a personal–record time of 9.90.
• Erykalyn Neal had her best–ever performance in the 60m during the finals, taking fourth place with a time of 8.28.
• In the weight throw, Jordan Pecorella earned her team points from fifth place after a throw of 10.96m.
• Rosario Watson, Quierra Hawkins, Alexandria Wilborn and Morrison made up Methodist's 4x400 squad. Finding a second wind, Morrison finished off the anchor leg with two last–lap passes, taking her team from fourth to second. Her time of 1:01.607 was the fastest leg of anyone on the podium.

NEXT UP
The Monarchs now turn their attention to the Outdoor Track & Field season, with their first meet scheduled for Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8 at UNC Wilmington.