COLUMBIA, S.C. --- The Tusculum University men's and women's indoor track and field teams competed in their final regular-season meet of the season on Friday at the University of South Carolina Open.
For the 23rd-ranked Tusculum men, senior Widchard Guervil claimed his seventh event win of the season by taking first place in the 60 meters, and tied his program record in the 200 meters. Junior Zackary Nelson also set a program record in the 400 meters for the Pioneers, who had six top-eight finishes across five individual events.
Tusculum's women were led by grad student Kenisha Stubbs, who broke her own school record in the 60 hurdles and had a career-best run in the 400 meters. Freshman Amber Hogan had season-best marks in both the shot put and weight throw.
The Pioneers will compete next weekend at the South Atlantic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship, which will be held Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 26-27 at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
MEN'S RECAP
Guervil earned his fourth win of the season in the 60 meters with a time of 6.69 seconds in the finals. Guervil's winning run is tied for third-fastest in Division II this season and is the second-fastest of his career, behind the 6.67 that he ran at the 2018 NCAA Division II Championship.
Guervil took second place in the 200 meters in 21.13 seconds, which ties the school record he set last week at the VMI Winter Classic. Zackary Nelson finished eighth in 21.82 seconds, the sixth-best time in school history, and Devan Hart moved into fifth on the program performance list at 22.26 seconds. Marquel Pittman ran 22.76 seconds for ninth on the performance list in the 200.
Gerard Hearst made it all the way to the finals in the 60 meters after finishing sixth in qualifying at 7.01 seconds and seventh in the semifinals with a career-best mark of 6.93 seconds. Hearst was eighth in the 60 finals at 7.05 seconds, while Pittman ran 7.07 in prelims for tenth place on the program performance list.
Nelson broke his own school record in the 400 meters, taking fifth place with a time of 48.15 seconds that beat his previous mark of 48.31 seconds set on Jan. 28 at the VMI Winter Relays. Stephen Brewer ran 50.46 seconds for the seventh-fastest mark in school history, while David Saruni had the ninth-best time in program history at 50.87.
In the 800 meters, Antonio Aparicio ran in the final section and took 11th place at 1:55.49, just off his school record of 1:55.33 that he set last Saturday at VMI.
The 4x400 relay of Xavion Bogus, Brewer, Hart and Saruni finished fourth overall in 3:23.16, the fifth-fastest time in program history in the event.
Joshua Stephens competed in the triple jump and finished sixth overall with a mark of 13.50 meters (44 feet, 3 1/2 inches) on his final attempt that puts him fourth on the program performance list in the event.
WOMEN'S RECAP
Stubbs was the top qualifier in preliminaries with a time of 9.12 seconds, breaking her own record of 9.16 seconds set at the SAC Championship in 2020. Stubbs then ran 9.22 in the semifinals for a 13th-place finish, with a time that was third-best in program history.
In the 400 meters, Stubbs was 10th overall with a career-best time of 57.85 seconds which is sixth-best in program history. I'Keriah Day took 19th in the 400 and just missed a career-best time by running 1:00.36.
In the mile finals, Emily Coddington ran 5:22.07 for the ninth-best time in program history and the second-best of her career.
Hogan had her best marks of the season in both the shot put and weight throw, finishing with a mark of 12.08 meters (39 feet, 7 3/4 inches) in the weight throw and 10.13 meters (33 feet, 3 inches) in the shot put. Shanee Angol just missed her season best in the shot with a heave of 10.36 meters (34 feet).
USC Indoor Open
at Columbia, S.C.
Tusculum results
MEN
60 (prelims): 6. Gerard Hearst, 7.01; 11. Marquel Pittman, 7.07; 13. Pierre Dupuy, 7.11.
60 (semifinals): 2. Widchard Guervil, 6.80 (advances); 7. Gerard Hearst, 6.93 (advances); 18. Devan Hart, 6.98; 21. Jarvis Barber Jr., 7.02.
60 (finals): 1. Widchard Guervil, 6.69; 8. Gerard Hearst, 7.05.
200: 2. Widchard Guervil, 21.13 (ties school record); 8. Zackary Nelson, 21.82; 20. Devan Hart, 22.26; 21. Jarvis Barber Jr., 22.28; 32. Marquel Pittman, 22.76; 41. Joshua Stephens, 22.98; 50. Gerard Hearst, 23.43; 52. Pierre Dupuy, 23.50; 86. Landen Locklear, 25.33.
400: 5. Zackary Nelson, 48.15 (school record); 21. Stephen Brewer, 50.46; 23. David Saruni, 50.87; 30. Xavion Bogus, 51.84; 45. Landen Locklear, 55.80.
800 (prelims): 10. Kyler Hodges, 2:02.08.
800 (finals): 11. Antonio Aparicio, 1:55.49.
4x400: 4. Tusculum B (Bogus, Brewer, Hart, Saruni), 3:23.16.
Triple jump: 6. Joshua Stephens, 13.50m (44-3 1/2).
WOMEN
60 (prelims): 28. Destiny Lottie, 8.16; 35. Silvia Bah, 8.21.
60 hurdles (prelims): 1. Kenisha Stubbs, 9.12 (advances/school record).
60 hurdles (semifinals): 13. Kenisha Stubbs, 9.22.
200: 37. Silvia Bah, 26.66; 43. Destiny Lottie, 26.91.
400: 10. Kenisha Stubbs, 57.85; 19. I'Keriah Day, 1:00.36.
800 (prelims): 13. Judy Chellah, 2:31.06.
Mile (finals): 18. Emily Coddington, 5:22.07.
Shot put: 16. Shanee Angol, 10.36m (34-0); 19. Amber Hogan, 10.13m (33-3).
Weight throw: 20. Amber Hogan, 12.08m (39-7 3/4).
