HICKORY, N.C. --- The Tusculum University men's and women's track and field teams competed in the LR Outdoor Open at Lenoir-Rhyne University on Saturday. The Pioneer men finished fifth out of 12 teams and the women were seventh out of 12 teams at the one-day meet.
Tusculum's men won three events, with Gerard Hearst taking first in the 100 meters and Zackary Nelson in the 400 meters along with the 4x100 relay. Senior David Saruni, competing in the javelin throw for the first time in his career, placed second overall and shattered the program record in the event. The Pioneer women received a first-place finish in the javelin from Shanee Angol, along with a second-place showing from Kenisha Stubbs in the 400 meters.
The Pioneers will turn preparation toward the South Atlantic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship, which will be held May 5-6 at Anderson University.
MEN'S RECAP
Hearst ran 10.56 to win the 100 meters, with the ninth-fastest time in program history that moved him into third place on the performance list in the event. Marquel Pittman was fourth in 10.58 seconds, 10th-fastest in school history, with Jarvis Barber Jr. in fifth (10.62 seconds) and Devan Hart in sixth (10.63 seconds). Stephen Brewer and Pierre Dupuy moved into a tie for ninth on the Tusculum performance list as they tied for 12th at 10.89 seconds.
Nelson ran 47.74 to win the 400 meters, just short of his school-record time of 47.46 seconds set last week at the Catamount Classic. Joshua Stephens was seventh in the 200 meters and took seventh on the Tusculum performance list with a time of 22.07 seconds. Kyler Hodges finished sixth in the 1500 meters (4:03.91) and took ninth in the 800 meters at 2:04.74, followed by Xavion Bogus in 10th place at 2:06.32.
Saruni, who had not competed in the javelin in his collegiate career prior to Saturday, broke the school record on his first attempt with a throw of 49.31 meters (161 feet, 9 inches). On his second throw, Saruni moved into first place at 52.98 meters (173 feet, 10 inches) and held it until Luke Thierfelder of Belmont Abbey reached 53.76 meters (176 feet, 4 inches) with his final throw to grab the win. Saruni broke the old Tusculum record of 43.32 meters (142 feet, 1 inch) set by Nicholas Sisto at the Terrier Relays on March 30, 2019, and moved into second place in the SAC this season in the event.
In the 5000 meters, Ray Richardson ran 16:04.35 to move into third place on the program performance list. Saruni ran 51.38 seconds in the 400 meters, putting him seventh on the program performance list. Stephens placed second in the triple jump with a best mark of 13.95 meters (45 feet, 9 1/4 inches).
The Tusculum "B" 4x100 relay ended up winning the race as Dupuy, Hearst, Saruni and Stephens rounded the track in 41.72 seconds.
Host Lenoir-Rhyne piled up 208.5 points to outscore runner-up Catawba (122.5 points), with Belmont Abbey (78), Wingate (77) and Tusculum (63) in the top five. Nine SAC schools sent competitors to the meet, with Mars Hill, Carson-Newman and Lincoln Memorial in the second half of the standings.
WOMEN'S RECAP
Angol threw the javelin 38.94 meters (127 feet, 9 inches) to earn her third win in four events this season and the 10th top-three finish in the javelin in 10 career competitions. Angol is the top-ranked thrower in the conference with a best mark nearly 25 feet further than second place.
Stubbs took second place in the 400 meters at 57.52 seconds, the third-fastest time in program history. Earthaiza Watkins finished in fifth place with a time of 1:02.46. Tusculum's top finishers in the sprints were Silvia Bah in 12th place in the 100 meters (13.20 seconds) and Destiny Lottie in 13th place in the 200 meters at 26.24 seconds.
Judy Chellah took sixth place in the 800 meters and had the seventh-fastest time in program history at 2:24.10, with Emily Coddington in eighth place at 2:26.53. In the steeplechase, Nicole Griffith placed sixth in 13:08.00 while Coddington was 11th in the 1500 meters at 4:59.64. Javiera Ortiz was eighth in the 5000 meters and recorded the eighth-fastest time in school history with time of 19:07.13, while Erin Bruce was 11th in 20:06.74.
In the field, Destini Wilson took fourth place in the long jump at 5.27 meters (17 feet, 3 1/2 inches) while Amber Hogan was eighth in the hammer throw at 37.98 meters (124 feet, 7 inches).
Lenoir-Rhyne more than doubled the rest of the field in scoring, amassing 205 points to easily defeat runner-up Belmont Abbey (84.5 points), with Catawba (79) in third, Queens (72.5) in fourth and Lincoln Memorial (57) in fifth. Newberry (44.5 points) took sixth place ahead of the Pioneers in seventh with 36 points, with Radford, Mars Hill, Wingate, Bob Jones and Carson-Newman rounding out the field.
LR Outdoor Open – at Hickory, North Carolina
Tusculum results
MEN
100: 1. Gerard Hearst, 10.56; 4. Marquel Pittman, 10.58; 5. Jarvis Barber Jr., 10.62; 6. Devan Hart, 10.63; 12. Stephen Brewer, 10.89; 12. Pierre Dupuy, 10.89; 26. Landen Locklear, 11.94.
200: 7. Joshua Stephens, 22.07; 18. Landen Locklear, 23.90.
400: 1. Zackary Nelson, 47.74; 12. David Saruni, 51.38.
800: 9. Kyler Hodges, 2:04.74; 10. Xavion Bogus, 2:06.32.
1500: 6. Kyler Hodges, 4:03.91; 13. Antonio Aparicio, 4:16.54.
5000: 21. Ray Richardson, 16:04.35.
4x100: 1. Tusculum B (Dupuy, Hearst, Saruni, Stephens), 41.72; Tusculum A, DQ.
Triple jump: 2. Joshua Stephens, 13.95m (45-9 1/4).
Javelin: 2. David Saruni, 52.98m (173-10) (school record).
Team scores: 1. Lenoir-Rhyne, 208.5; 2. Catawba, 122.5; 3. Belmont Abbey, 78; 4. Wingate, 77; 5. Tusculum, 63; 6. Queens, 52; 7. Newberry, 34; 8. Emory & Henry, 22; 9. Mars Hill, 16; 10. Bob Jones, 11; 11. Carson-Newman, 10; 11. Lincoln Memorial, 10; 12. Appalachian State, 3.
WOMEN
100: 12. Silvia Bah, 13.20; 18. Emerald Jones, 14.33.
200: 13. Destiny Lottie, 26.24; 14. Silvia Bah, 26.28; 18. Earthaiza Watkins, 27.31; 26. Emerald Jones, 28.94.
400: 2. Kenisha Stubbs, 57.52; 5. Earthaiza Watkins, 1:02.46.
800: 6. Judy Chellah, 2:24.10; 8. Emily Coddington, 2:26.53.
1500: 11. Emily Coddington, 4:59.64.
Steeplechase: 6. Nicole Griffith, 13:08.00.
5000: 8. Javiera Ortiz, 19:07.13; 11. Erin Bruce, 20:06.74.
Long jump: 4. Destini Wilson, 5.27m (17-3 1/2).
Shot put: 15. Amber Hogan, 9.54m (31-3 3/4); 21. Faith Robinette, 7.22m (23-8 1/4).
Hammer: 8. Amber Hogan, 37.98m (124-7).
Javelin: 1. Shanee Angol, 38.94m (127-9).
Team scores: 1. Lenoir-Rhyne, 205; 2. Belmont Abbey, 84.5; 3. Catawba, 79; 4. Queens, 72.5; 5. Lincoln Memorial, 57; 6. Newberry, 44.5; 7. Tusculum, 36; 8. Radford, 28; 9. Mars Hill, 25; 10. Wingate, 17; 11. Bob Jones, 11; 12. Carson-Newman, 5.
