LEXINGTON, Va. --- The Tusculum University men's and women's indoor track & field teams competed Friday on the opening day of the VMI Winter Relays at the Corps Physical Training Center.

The Pioneer men and women advanced four runners to Saturday's finals in the 60 meters during Friday's preliminaries. A total of six men's and eight women's events were contested on Friday.

Competition will resume on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. in 12 men's and 10 women's events.

MEN'S RECAP
Four Pioneers qualified for Saturday's finals in the 60 meters. Senior Marquel Pittman was second at 6.87 seconds, senior Tyrell Edwards took third at 6.90 seconds, sophomore Isaiah Olson placed fifth at 6.95 seconds and freshman Lansford Cunningham took eighth place at 7.03 seconds.

Also advancing for the Pioneers in the 60 hurdles were senior Jamal Cash, who placed fifth at 8.51 seconds, and freshman Hunter Burkey who was seventh with a season-best time of 9.02 seconds.

Cunningham finished fourth in the long jump at 6.77 meters (22 feet, 2 1/2 inches), with junior Joshua Stephens in 10th place at 6.42 meters (21 feet, 3/4 inch).

WOMEN'S RECAP
Tusculum had four advance to the finals on Saturday in the 60 meters, led by freshman A'jaylah Yates who was second in prelims at 7.68 seconds. Sophomore Kiera Taylor was fifth at 7.71 seconds, freshman Alonda Shelton took sixth with a season-best time of 7.76 seconds, and sophomore Theresa Green-White was seventh at 7.81 seconds.

Green-White also advanced in the 60 hurdles with the second-best time of her career, placing third at 8.88 seconds.

In the weight throw, junior Amber Hogan had the ninth-best mark in program history and took 12th overall at 12.32 meters (40 feet, 5 inches).

Freshman Kieley Smith competed in the heptathlon on Friday and finished 14th overall with 2,677 points, the second-best mark in program history in the multi event. Her top score came in the 60 hurdles, where she ran 9.67 seconds to accumulate 775 points. Smith also moved into fifth on the program perfomance list in the long jump at 4.91 meters (16 feet, 1-1/4 inches).

VMI Winter Relays - Day 1 of 2
Tusculum results
MEN
60 prelims: 2. Marquel Pittman, 6.87 (advances); 3. Tyrell Edwards, 6.90 (advances); 5. Isaiah Olson, 6.95 (advances); 8. Lansford Cunningham, 7.03 (advances); 12. Stephen Brewer, 7.11; 14. Joshua Stephens, 7.13.
60 hurdles prelims: 5. Jamal Cash, 8.61 (advances); 7. Hunter Burkey, 9.02 (advances).
Long jump: 4. Lansford Cunningham, 6.77m (22-2 1/2); 10. Joshua Stephens, 6.42m (21-3/4); 18. Carlos Turner, 5.29m (17-4 1/4).
Weight throw: 20. Adrian Gumm, 11.98m (39-3 3/4).

WOMEN
60 prelims: 2. A'jaylah Yates, 7.68 (advances); 5. Kiera Taylor, 7.71 (advances); 6. Alonda Shelton, 7.76 (advances); 7. Theresa Green-White, 7.81 (advances).
60 hurdles prelims: 3. Theresa Green-White, 8.88 (advances).
Weight throw: 12. Amber Hogan, 12.32m (40-5).
Pentathlon: 14. Kieley Smith, 2677 pts.