MOREHEAD, Ky. – Graduate student
Aidan Massey won his first collegiate event as an Eagle, and the Morehead State track and field team finished two days of action at the 18-team Marshall Jewel City Invitational at the Jeff Small Track in the Chris Cline Indoor Athletics Complex in Huntington, W.Va., with 25 "sb's" or "pr's" and 10 heat victories.
"Lots of positives to take away from this week," said MSU head coach
Clay Dixon. "We have been hit hard with ice and snow and that has forced many modifications to workouts, but we will find a way."
On Friday night, Masey won the 5,000-meter run in a "pr" of 14:49.39. There were two heats and he bested 11 other runners in the first section. Braden Ward of Concord (W.Va.) was the runner up both in his heat and overall in 14:56.00. Massey won his heat by 5.61 seconds.
It was more than a 21-second improvement for Massey, who also moved into 13th all-time at MSU in the event.
"I had (a) cold all week, so really going into the race I just wanted to get a time that would put me in the fast heat at conference. Coach (Dixon) told me to just run 14:50," Massey said. "Even during my shakeout run I was still feeling congested. I wasn't worried though, I knew I'd just be tough and compete.
"The race was smooth I had one other runner split 53s (seconds) with me for a while. Then with 600 (meters) to go, I started my kick and separated to win it," he continued. "It was a fun race and I was glad to successfully rip a 'Balboni rep' to coach's approval at the end of the race."
Besides Massey, sophomore
AJ Hawkins finished seventh in 15:30.31, with junior
Aidan Whitsell in ninth in 15:45.03 and sophomore
Ryan Richendollar in 11th in 15:59.73. In the second heat, junior
Keghan Thompson placed sixth (16th overall) in 16:19.65, with freshman
Lance Garner in 18th overall in 16:32.15 and sophomore
Brody Coleman in 19th overall in 16:35.19.
In addition to Massey, Hawkins and Garner set "pr's".
In the women's race, senior
Abby Taylor finished third in 18:21.00. It was the second-fastest time of her career.
"We had some good races in the 5K. (For) Abby, we had the goal of running 18:35-45 but she proved to be in better fitness and nearly ran a 'pr'. Massey had the goal of coming through the 3K in 8:50 and going for it after that. He came through in 8:52 and had a hard close to come in 14:49, which was exactly what we needed from him," Dixon said. "AJ and Whitsell looked strong. It was good to see them run what they did at this time of the year. Whitsell is running times he did last year in May and AJ is doing what he was only capable of in April last year. Both are good signs (that) their fitness is progressing."
The only other Eagles to compete on the opening day were the long jumpers.
Freshman
Kalynn Pease led the way for the Blue and Gold in third overall at 5.68/18'07.75", which was the third time this season she eclipsed 18 and a half feet.
Junior
Ginger Hayden followed with a leap of 5.48m/17'11.75", which surpassed her previous "pr" by 5.5 inches. She won her flight and finished fifth. Sophomore
Brooklyn Boyce recorded a mark of 5.07/16'07.25" to place 14th.
"Jumps started off the day with some solid performances. Ginger had a big 'pr'," Dixon said.
On Saturday, most of the Eagles were in action, and despite being indoors, weather was a factor.
"It was about 45 degrees inside today because a heater was busted, so it was not ideal for competing indoors," Dixon said.
Yet Hayden picked up where she left off on Friday and finished second in the triple jump with a top mark of 36'00.00", which she achieved on her fifth jump. It was the second longest mark of her career.
The University of Charleston's (W.Va.) Laura Delgado de Torres edged Hayden with a mark of 36'02.00". Delgado de Torres recorded that distance on both of her first two attempts, before passing the final four times.
"Ginger had some solid jumps and looked good," Dixon said of Hayden's triple jump.
"For both of my jumps, I went into it knowing that this is my last time jumping at Marshall and I wanted to have a great last meet," she said. "For long jump, I was happy to get a collegiate 'pr' and show off all the work we been doing. For triple jump, I was happy to do triple since it's only my second time doing (it) this year. And from a shorter approach, (I) was able to jump 36 feet. Overall, I just wanted to ensure my last meet at Marshall was a good one."
Freshman
Sam Afari continued his outstanding season by finishing second in the 400-meter run and ninth in the 60-meter dash.
His 400m time of 48.74 was his fastest ever, third best in MSU history and believed to be the top all-time mark indoors. He won his heat by 49-hundredths of a second. Rio Grande's (Ohio) Trevon Houston was the overall champ in 48.62.
"Sam was a beast in the 400m," Dixon said. "He's gonna be scary at OVC (Ohio Valley Conference Championships) in a few weeks."
All four Eagles in the 400m ran either a "pr" or "sb". Freshman
Kyler Witt was 12th in 50.51, with freshman
Luke Kelly 25th in 52.11 and freshman
Jayce Stewart 28th in 52.15. The trio finished one-two-three across the line in their heat.
In addition, Afari technically tied his "pr" in the 60m by crossing the line in 7.06. His actual "pr" is 7.055 (although it was recorded as 7.06). He also was second in his heat by one-tenth of a second.
In the 60m, junior
Derril Carr placed 26th in 7.30, although he tied Wittenberg's Nick Farfoglia, Carr won the tiebreaker at 7.291. Farfoglia was clocked in 7.299. Sophomore
Tate Glass was in a similar situation. He placed 33rd overall but tied Northern Kentucky's Osayi Ogbebor and Wittenberg's Kenyan Carr. When extrapolated to the thousandth of a second, Glass recorded a 7.384. Both Ogbebor and Carr finished in 7.388.
On the women's side, Boyce placed 31st in 8.21, with freshman
Ava Claggett in 37th in 8.27 and junior
Cheyenne Stark in 49th in 8.59.
The men had some impressive performances in the 800-meter run. Sophomore
Weston Blair won his heat by 2.71 seconds.
Blair was second overall in 1:54.37 a "pr" by 69-hundredths of a second, becoming the third straight meet he recorded a new personal best. That mark also moved him onto the list of top all-time performers in the event at MSU, where he sits 12th. Kasy Science of Rio Grande won the event in 1:53.05.
"Blair had a big 'pr' in the 800m," Dixon said. "He has been looking good the last few races and should be able to shave time by OVC."
Sophomore
Liam Parido was seventh overall in 1:58.10, with teammates freshman Jesus Mendoz-Solis in 14th in 1:59.54, his collegiate "pr". Sophomore
Carter Lamb was 16th in 2:00.36. Junior
Brady Baker was 25th in 2:02.79 and freshman
Josh Arnett was 26th in 2:02.81. Mendoza-Solis won his heat by 1.5 seconds.
Junior
Adi Fuller finished 29th overall, after clocking 2:31.70. Junior
Lani Baskett was not far behind in 30th with a "pr" of 2:33.28. Freshman
Sydney Filippazzo crossed the line in 32nd in 2:35.11. Freshman
Peyton Lunsford finished 35th overall in 2:38.54. Senior
Casey Skaggs was 43rd in 2:54.99. Junior
Emily Spradlin and senior
Kaylyn Holman were both initially entered in the race but did not start.
"Kaylyn has been sick as a dog. (We) might race her next week, if she is healthy," Dixon noted.
Earlier in the day, Holman put together a good race in the mile, finishing fifth (fourth collegiately) in 5:12.22, while Fuller won her heat by 3.67 seconds. Fuller was the second Eagle over the line, clocking a "pr" of 5:25.09 to place 10th overall and ninth collegiately. Baskett finished 14th overall (13th collegiately) in 5:38.20, with freshman
Addison Hill in 24th overall (23rd collegiately) in 5:57.51.
On the men's side, Arnett was the Eagles' top performer, winning his heat and placing 10th overall in 4:22.57. Lamb claimed 19th in 4:33.40, with Baker in 21st in 4:36.33. Both set new "pr's" with their times. Sophomore
Preston Glassco also set a "pr" and finished 28th overall in 4:43. 56. Junior
Garrett West rounded out the MSU contingent, placing 32nd overall in 4:55.34.
Freshman
Kennedi Alford led the team in the 200-meter dash when she finished fifth in 25.05. Sophomore
Maryah Counts was 18th in 26.49, with Claggett 25th in 27.09, sophomore
Olivia Miles in 27th in 27.40 and Stark in 40th in 28.73.
Among the men, freshman
Kyle Stepteau placed 11th in 22.43, with Kelly 18th in 22.99, Carr in 19th in 23.11, Witt in 23rd in 23.23 and Glass in 24th in 23.35. Kelly, Carr and Glass went one-two-three in their heat.
The Eagles only had one entrant in the 3,000-meter run. Sophomore
Meredith Campbell was seventh with a 1.6-second "pr" of 10:12.44.
Morehead State had two entries in the men's 4x400-meter relay. Stewart, Carr, Witt and Glass was 10th in 3:31.62. Blair, Parido, Mendoza-Solis and Baker were 12th in 3:35.36.
The Eagles are not expected to run again until the OVC Championships, which will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 24 and Wednesday, Feb. 25 at the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center in Louisville.
