GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The South Atlantic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship returns this weekend with two-day competition at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Tusculum University will be among the men's and women's programs vying for medals in 17 events per gender during the championship meet, which was last contested in 2020.
The Pioneers had their best-ever showing at the 2020 championship meet, winning five gold medals and finishing third in the women's standings and placing sixth in the men's standings. The 2021 championship meet did not take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We are excited to compete in this indoor championship after not holding a championship in 2021," said Tusculum head coach Cory Pratt. "It's just another reminder that you can't take these moments and opportunities for granted."
MEN'S PREVIEW
Tusculum was picked seventh in the SAC preseason coaches poll, but Pratt believes that if the strength of the team lives up to expectations, the Pioneers could challenge for a finish in the top half of the team standings.
"Our men's team has created a reputation at this point for being one of the best short sprint programs in the country," said Pratt, whose squad is 23rd in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division II rankings. "The bad news is I can say the same for two or three other SAC programs. But we plan to lean on them like we have all season. The key for us will be getting what we expect in the 60 and 200 meters and the 4x400 relay, while also trying to sneak a few extra points from the 400, 800, triple jump and distance medley relay."
Senior Widchard Guervil (Fort Myers, Fla.) is the top seed in both the 60 meters and the 200 meters for the Pioneers. Guervil has medaled four times in sprints in his career, including gold in the 60 at the 2018 conference meet. Guervil's seed time of 6.69 seconds in the 60 meters is the third-fastest in Division II this season while his time of 21.13 seconds is a school record and second-best in Division II.
Junior Zackary Nelson (St. Johns, Fla.) is running in both the 200 and 400 meters for the Pioneers. Nelson is ranked 16th in Division II in the 400 with a school-record time of 48.15 seconds set at the USC Indoor Open on Feb. 18, and he is seeded second in the event. Nelson is seeded eighth in the 200 meters at 21.82 seconds which he also ran at the USC Open and is the second-fastest time in school history.
Joining Guervil in both the 60 and 200 for the Pioneers are junior Jarvis Barber Jr. (Ocala, Fla.), junior Devan Hart (Bonaire, Ga.) and junior Marquel Pittman (Tallahassee, Fla.).
Barber is seeded eighth in the 60 at 6.89 seconds, which he ran at the VMI Winter Relays on Jan. 28 and placed him third on the program performance list in the event. Hart is seeded ninth in the 60 at 6.90 seconds, also accomplished at VMI and fourth on the Tusculum performance list. Pittman ran at the USC Open and is seeded 26th at 7.07 seconds, which is 10th on the program performance list.
In the 200, Barber is seeded 12th at 22.07 which he ran at the VMI Winter Relays on Jan. 29 and is fourth on the Tusculum performance list. Hart is seeded 16th in the 200 at 22.26 seconds, accomplished at the USC Open and fifth on the Pioneer performance list, and Pittman is seeded 28th with a time of 22.76 seconds which he ran at the USC Open and placed him ninth on the school performance list.
Also running in the 60 for the Pioneers are senior Gerard Hearst (Alpharetta, Ga.) and junior Pierre Dupuy (Pompano Beach, Fla.). Hearst is seeded 13th with a time of 6.93 seconds, which he ran at the USC Open and put him sixth on the program performance list. Dupuy is seeded 21st at 7.00 seconds which came at the VMI Winter Relays and is seventh on the Tusculum performance list in the event.
Along with Nelson, the Pioneers have four entries in the 400 meters as also competing are freshman Stephen Brewer (Winston-Salem, N.C.), senior David Saruni (Narok, Kenya) and freshman Xavion Bogus (Knoxville, Tenn.). All three set their seed times at the USC Open last weekend.
Brewer is the 12th seed in the event at 50.46 seconds, which is third on the Tusculum performance list. Saruni is seeded 13th with a season-best time of 50.87, and Bogus is seeded 19th at 51.84 seconds which is sixth all-time on the Tusculum performance list. Saruni finished seventh in the 400 at the 2020 SAC Championship.
Competing in the 800 for the Pioneers are junior Antonio Aparicio (Paterna, Spain), senior Kyler Hodges (Casselberry, Fla.) and senior Carson Walls (Gray, Tenn.).
Aparicio is seeded ninth in the 800 at 1:55.33, a school record he set at the VMI Winter Classic on Feb. 12. He finished fifth in the 800 at the 2020 SAC Championship. Hodges is seeded 15th at 1:58.00, which he ran at the ETSU Invitational on Jan. 15 and put him second on the program performance list. He has competed twice previously at the SAC Championship, taking ninth in the mile and 10th in the 3000 in 2019 and seventh in the mile and 12th in the 3000 in 2020. Walls is seeded 27th in the 800 meters with a time of 2:08.54 set at the VMI Winter Classic. He has twice run in the 3000 at the SAC Championship.
In distance events, sophomore Ray Richardson (Johnson City, Tenn.) will run in the 3000 meters and freshman Gideon Dowling (Jonesborough, Tenn.) is entered in the 5000 meters. Richardson is seeded 42nd in the 3000 meters with a converted time of 9:09.27 he set at the Flat Is Fast Invitational on Jan. 23. Dowling is seeded 23rd in the 5000, having run 16:00.96 at the VMI Winter Classic to move into sixth place on the Tusculum performance list.
The Pioneers' lone field entry is freshman Joshua Stephens (Sanford, Fla.), who will compete in the triple jump. Stephens is seeded 10th at 13.50 meters (44 feet, 3 1/2 inches), which he accomplished at the USC Open and put him in fourth on the Tusculum performance list in the event.
Tusculum will also run in the 4x400 and distance medley relays at the SAC Championship. The Pioneers' top 4x400 performance of the season was at the VMI Winter Relays, where the team of Bogus, Guervil, Nelson and Brewer set a school record of 3:18.33. Tusculum ran the DMR at VMI and finished in 10:54.13.
WOMEN'S PREVIEW
The Pioneers, who were selected eighth in the SAC preseason poll, will bring 11 athletes to the championship meet and will need solid showings across the board to meet their goals.
"For our women, it will take a committee. Kenisha Stubbs has been so steady and reliable all season. She handles all we ask of her with maturity and rises to the occasion week after week. I'Keriah Day is a veteran and I wouldn't be surprised for her to be a big help," said Pratt. "After that, we need to get production from some women who are competing in their first SAC Indoor Championship. Shot put, weight throw, DMR, 4x400, 400, 5K, and 800 are all critical areas for us if we are going to overachieve this weekend."
Stubbs (Nassau, Bahamas) is the top seed in the 400 dash with a time of 57.85 seconds set at the USC Open on Feb. 18. She was sixth in the event in 2020. Stubbs is seeded third in the 60 hurdles with a converted time of 9.11 seconds from the Appalachian Open on Dec. 4. She holds the school record of 9.12 in the 60 hurdles set at the USC Open, and finished seventh in the event at the 2020 SAC Championship.
Day (Fort Myers, Fla.) is the only other Pioneer with previous experience at the conference championship, taking sixth in the 200 and 400 in 2019. Day is entered in the 400 meters after running a season-best 1:00.36 at the USC Open.
Also competing in sprints are freshman Silvia Bah (Cary, N.C.) and junior Destiny Lottie (Des Moines, Iowa). Bah is seeded 13th in the 60 meters with a best time of 8.14 set at the VMI Winter Classic on Feb. 11, which ranks her ninth on the program performance list. Bah is seeded 17th in the 200 at 26.66 seconds, which she accomplished at the USC Open. Lottie is seeded 20th in the 200 at 26.91 seconds, set at the USC Open, and 19th in the 400 at 1:02.78 which she ran at the VMI Winter Classic.
Running in the 800 meters for the Pioneers are sophomore Emily Coddington (Acosta, Pa.) and Celine McNally (Surgoinsville, Tenn.). Coddington is seeded 13th with a time of 2:26.15 she achieved at the VMI Winter Classic, the fifth-fastest in school history and second-best of her career. McNally ran a converted time of 2:28.07 from the Flat Is Fast Invitational on Jan. 23 and is seeded 14th in the field.
Freshman Nicole Griffith (Jonesborough, Tenn.) will compete in the mile run for the Pioneers. She ran 5:43.70 at the VMI Winter Relays and is seventh on the Tusculum performance list in the event.
Doing double duty in distance is grad student Javiera Ortiz (Llolleo, Chile) who will run in both the 3000 meters and 5000 meters. Ortiz is seeded 32nd in the 3000 meters with a converted time of 11:07.48 from the Flat Is Fast Invitational, and is 15th in the 5000 meters at 18:57.61, which she ran at the VMI Winter Relays for the ninth-fastest time in school history.
Junior Faith Robinette (Rockwood, Tenn.) will be the lone Pioneer to compete in both track and field events. She is seeded 11th in the 60 hurdles at 9.62 seconds, which she ran at the VMI Winter Relays and put her third on the program performance list. Robinette will also compete in the triple jump for the first time this season as a wild card entry.
In field events, senior Shanee Angol (Grand Bay, Dominica) and freshman Amber Hogan (Piedmont, S.C.) will compete in throws, with both in the shot put and Hogan in the weight throw.
Angol is the 12th seed in shot put with a mark of 10.38 meters (34 feet, 3/4 inch) from the Buccaneer Invitational on Feb. 5, which places her third on the program performance list in the event. Hogan is seeded 16th in the shot at 10.13 meters (33 feet, 3 inches) from the USC Open, while her mark of 12.08 meters (39 feet, 7 3/4 inches) in the weight throw from the USC Open is fifth-best in school history and seeded 14th in the meet.
Tusculum will also compete in the 4x400 relay and the distance medley relay during the championship meet. The Pioneers' best 4x400 time was 4:06.20 at the VMI Winter Relays from the quartet of Day, Stubbs, Lottie and Bah. The Pioneers did not receive a DMR time during the season due to a officiating error at the VMI Winter Classic.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
The meet will begin for the Pioneers at 4 p.m. Saturday with preliminaries in the mile, 400, 60, 800, 60 hurdles and 200, and finals in the 5000 and DMR. Finals in the long jump and weight throw will also be held Saturday.
On Sunday, competition will resume at 11 a.m. with finals of Saturday's preliminary events plus finals in the 3000 and 4x400. Finals will also be held in the triple jump and shot put.