JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's and women's track & field teams competed Friday on the opening day of the ETSU Buccaneer Invitational at the Athletics Center.
Sophomore All-American Widchard Guervil ran for the first time this season and earned a provisional qualifying time in the men's 60 meters, advancing to the finals on Saturday. In all, Tusculum athletes set three men's and two women's school records during Friday's competition.
Action will resume Saturday at 9 a.m. with 12 men's and 10 women's events on the schedule.
MEN
Guervil, running in the 12th of 13 heats in the 60 meters, was timed at 6.98 seconds to win his heat and place ninth overall in preliminaries. In the semifinals, Guervil won the second of three heats with a time of 6.79 seconds to earn the number-two seed heading into Saturday's final. His time of 6.79 is eighth-fastest in Division II this season and beat the provisional qualifying standard of 6.88 seconds.
Guervil also ran in the 200 meters and was clocked in 22.19 seconds for 11th place overall. He did not advance to the final round, but placed himself in fifth place on the South Atlantic Conference performance list in the event and broke his own school record of 22.21 seconds set at last year's SAC Championship meet.
Junior Guillaume Devries finished third in the long jump with a mark of 6.93 meters (22 feet, 9 inches), which broke the school record of 22 feet, 5 3/4 inches (6.85 meters) set at last year's Buccaneer Invitational by Jay Boyd. Devries hit his best mark on his third jump of trials, and was seeded second entering finals, but could not improve on his first two attempts.
Another school record was established by Evan Grooms in the weight throw, who beat his own record set last weekend at Liberty by throwing 12.37 meters (40 feet, 7 inches), more than two feet further than his previous mark of 38 feet, 5 1/2 inches (11.72 meters).
In other competition, Kedar Ashford advanced to the semifinals of the 60 meters with a 15th-place time of 7.10 seconds. Alejandro Perez ran in the 5,000 meters and set a season-best time for him by crossing the line in 16:56.11. Jamire Thompson also set a season best in the long jump at 6.10 meters (20 feet, 1/4 inch).
WOMEN
Freshman Destini Wilson literally leaped into the upper reaches of the SAC performance list as she placed sixth in the high jump at 1.55 meters (5 feet, 1 inch) and seventh in the long jump with a mark of 5.30 meters (17 feet, 4 3/4 inches), both school records.
Wilson was the first women's high jumper in program history and did not miss on her first three attempts before needed a second try to clear her final height and capture sixth place in the event, and move into a tie for fourth on the SAC performance list.
In the long jump, Wilson had a mark of 5.29 meters in trials, then slightly improved in the finals with a distance of 5.30 meters for seventh place overall. Both leaps broke her own record of 5.23 meters set at the ETSU Invitational last month and placed her fourth in the SAC this season.
Also in the long jump, I'Keriah Day finished ninth and also broke Wilson's previous record in the event with a mark of 5.26 meters (17 feet, 3 1/4 inches), good for sixth place in the SAC. Day also was the Pioneers' top finisher in the 60 meters with a team season-best time of 8.13 seconds.
Freshman Earthaiza Watkins finished 13th in the 400 meters and had a season-best time of 1:00.84, and placed 16th in the 200 meters at 26.37 seconds. Also in the 200, Kaynashia Carter (27.06 seconds) and Brittany Bowery (29.48 seconds) had their best times of the season.
Tusculum had its first-ever competitor in the women's weight throw as freshman Alyssa Farmer had a mark of 9.42 meters (30 feet, 11 inches) during prelims.
ETSU Buccaneer Invitational (day 1 of 2)
Tusculum results
MEN
60 preliminaries: 9. Widchard Guervil, 6.98; 15. Kedar Ashford, 7.10; 46. Malek Folston, 7.31; 51. Jaydon Johnson, 7.40; 52. Luis Morris, 7.43; 70. Tyree Hilliard, 7.82
60 semifinals: 2. Widchard Guervil, 6.79
200: 11. Widchard Guervil, 22.19; 43. Malek Folston, 23.36
400: 41. Isaac Hybarger, 54.16
5000: 13. Alejandro Perez, 16:56.11
Long jump: 3. Guillaume Devries, 6.93m (22-9); 17. Jamire Thompson, 6.10m (20-1/4);
Weight throw: 32. Evan Grooms, 12.37m (40-7)
WOMEN
60: 22. I'Keriah Day, 8.13; 29. Brianna Oats, 8.22; 34. Hailey Cole, 8.27; 36. Raygene Minus, 8.28; 40. Ke'Lah McMiller, 8.35; 61. Brittany Bowery, 9.12
200: 16. Earthaiza Watkins, 26.37; 41. Kaynashia Carter, 27.06; 61. Destini Wilson, 28.27; 73. Brittany Bowery, 29.48; 76. Deondra Thomas, 29.55
400: 13. Earthaiza Watkins, 1:00.84; 42. Karla Angulo, 1:07.93
High jump: 6. Destini Wilson, 1.55m (5-1)
Long jump: 7. Destini Wilson, 5.30m (17-4 3/4); 9. I'Keriah Day, 5.26m (17-3 1/4)
Weight throw: 36. Alyssa Farmer, 9.42m (30-11)
