GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's and women's indoor track & field teams will compete this weekend at the South Atlantic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship, hosted by the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The Pioneer men finished sixth and the women took ninth at last year's championship meet. Of the 47 points accumulated by the Tusculum men last season, 41 of those points were by athletes entered in this year's meet. The Pioneer women had 20 points at last year's championship, of which 15 of those points are among 2024 competitors.
Action will begin at 10:00 Saturday morning with the women's pentathlon, with track events beginning at 1:15 and field events at 2:00. On Sunday, the men's shot put begins the day at 9:00 with finals on the track starting at 11:00.
MEN'S PREVIEW
Graduate student Zack Nelson is seeded third in the 400 meters with a time of 48.37 seconds. Nelson won the 400 at the 2022 SAC Indoor Championship and took second last season. Senior Dorian Craven is seeded fourth in the 400 at 49.00 seconds, coming off a fourth-place run last season, while junior Stephen Brewer, who was fifth in 2022 in the 400, is seeded ninth at 49.86 seconds.
In the 60 meters, senior Marquel Pittman is seeded 11th at 6.87 seconds following a third-place finish last year. Senior Jamal Cash is the Pioneers' top seed in the 60 hurdles in 10th at 8.50 seconds, after taking seventh place last season, and will be joined in the event by freshman Hunter Burkey.
Nelson is Tusculum's top seed in the 200 meters, where he finished sixth last season, with a time of 22.10 seconds. Pittman and sophomore Isaiah Olson are also entered in the 200 meters for the Pioneers, while Olson and freshman Lansford Cunningham will join Pittman in the 60.
Grad student Antonio Aparicio will compete in the 800 meters after taking second last season, while freshmen Pau Valdepenas (mile) and Sam Shipp (3000 meters) will be making their SAC Championship debuts.
The Pioneers are well-represented in the field, with Cunningham the sixth seed in the long jump at 6.86 meters followed by junior Joshua Stephens in 10th at 6.66 meters. Sophomore Daryl Smith Jr. is seeded second in the triple jump at 15.22 meters, with Stephens seventh at 14.35 meters. Smith, who was eighth in the triple jump last season, will also compete in the long jump along with Cash.
In the shot put, sophomore Adrian Gumm is seeded third with a best throw of 14.89 meters, after taking eighth last year in the event. He is joined by sophomore Gavin Rowell as the seventh seed at 14.56 meters along with freshman Dylan Horne. Gumm will also compete in the weight throw for the Pioneers.
Tusculum will also enter a 4x400 relay consisting of Brewer, Nelson, Craven and Cunningham, along with a distance medley relay of Valdepenas, junior Xay Bogus, Aparicio and Shipp.
WOMEN'S PREVIEW
The Pioneers' strength will be in sprints, particularly the 60 meters where all four Pioneers are seeded in the top 15. Freshman A'jaylah Yates is seeded third at 7.62 seconds, with sophomore Kiera Taylor in sixth at 7.69 seconds, freshman Alonda Shelton in 10th at 7.76 seconds and sophomore Theresa Green-White in 14th at 7.81 seconds. Taylor took fourth in the 60 meters at last year's SAC Championship.
Green-White scored in three different events last season, placing fourth in the 60 hurdles, sixth in the 60 meters and seventh in the 200 meters. She is seeded second in the 60 hurdles at 8.85 seconds and will run in the 200 meters along with Shelton (25.18 seconds, 5th), Yates (25.28 seconds, 6th) and Taylor (25.43 seconds, 8th).
Junior Jada Martin is competing in the 400 meters for the Pioneers, while sophomore Inmaculada Delgado is running in the 3000 meters. Freshman Kieley Smith will compete in the indoor pentathlon, with junior Amber Hogan in both the weight throw and shot put.
Tusculum will compete in the 4x400 relay with a quartet of Taylor, Yates, Shelton and Martin, along with a distance medley relay of senior Judy Chellah, Martin, freshman Caley Sosnowski and Delgado.