ANDERSON, S.C. --- The Tusculum University men's and women's track and field teams concluded action Thursday at the South Atlantic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship, hosted by Anderson University. The Pioneer men finished sixth overall out of 12 teams, while the Tusculum women took ninth place in the final standings. 

MEN'S RECAP
The Pioneers medaled in five events on the second day of the championship and had a total of 13 scoring performances to leap into sixth place in the final standings.

Tusculum's best finish of the meet came in the final event, the 4x400-meter relay, where the quartet of junior Dorian Craven, senior Zackary Nelson, senior Antonio Aparicio and sophomore Stephen Brewer finished second in 3:14.32. Their time was just off the school record of 3:14.20 set at last year's SAC Championship by a group that included Brewer and Nelson.

Nelson was third in the 400 meters with a season-best time of 47.61 seconds, while Aparicio was third in the 800 meters at 1:53.75. Freshman Adrian Gumm set his second school record of the SAC Championship meet as he placed third in the shot put at 14.73 meters (48 feet, 4 inches), breaking his own record of 14.67 meters (48 feet, 1 1/2 inches) he set March 24 at the Montreat College Open.

In the 4x100 relay, the quartet of freshman Isaiah Olson, senior Jarvis Barber Jr., senior Marquel Pittman and junior Tyrell Edwards was third overall at 40.40 seconds, the fourth-fastest time in program history and fastest time at a SAC Championship.

The Pioneers had four entries in the 100-meter finals, led by Edwards who was fourth in 10.46 seconds. Pittman took fifth place at 10.47 seconds, junior Jordan Taylor was seventh in 10.65 seconds and Olson was eighth at 10.69 seconds.

Tusculum scored in each of the hurdle events, as junior Jamal Cash was fifth in the 110 hurdles at 15.00 seconds and sixth in the 400 hurdles at 56.11 seconds, just behind freshman Daryl Smith Jr. who had a season-best time of 55.20 seconds and placed fifth.

Freshman Gavin Rowell earned a seventh-place finish in the discus with a throw of 40.67 meters (133 feet, 5 inches), the second-best mark in program history. Gumm was 11th in the discus and set a season best at 38.47 meters (126 feet, 2 inches). Rowell was 11th in the shot put at 13.25 meters (43 feet, 5 3/4 inches) and freshman Mikeal Pillar was 14th at 12.96 meters (42 feet, 6 1/4 inches).

In the triple jump, Smith placed 10th at 13.77 meters (45 feet, 2 1/4 inches) with sophomore Joshua Stephens in 13th place at 13.27 meters (43 feet, 6 1/2 inches).

Wingate took gold in all running events from 800 meters and above to take the team championship with 221 points. Lenoir-Rhyne was second with 133.5 points and Limestone placed third at 110 points. Carson-Newman (99 points) was fifth, followed by Catawba (65 points) and Tusculum (57 points) in the 12-team field.

WOMEN'S RECAP
After finishing 11th at last year's championship with 17 points, the Pioneers used seven scoring performances in this year's meet to take ninth overall with 26 points as a team.

Tusculum's 4x100-meter relay of freshman Kiera Taylor, grad student Kylia Wright, freshman Theresa Green-White and sophomore Silvia Bah finished second and set a school record with a time of 46.98 seconds, breaking the record of 47.06 seconds set by the same group at the LR Bears Invitational on April 21.

Taylor and Green-White each competed in finals in two events, with Taylor placing seventh in the 100 meters at 12.26 seconds and seventh in the 200 meters at 25.44 seconds. Green-White was fifth in the 100 hurdles with a time of 14.32 seconds and took sixth in the 400 hurdles with a season-best time of 1:07.02.

Junior Emily Coddington placed fifth in the 1500 meters, running 4:41.52 to knock more than six seconds off her previous career best of 4:47.82 which she set in preliminaries on Wednesday.

In the discus, sophomore Amber Hogan was 14th with a career-best throw of 33.19 meters (108 feet, 10 inches). Hogan placed 19th in the shot put at 9.96 meters (32 feet, 8 1/4 inches).

Wingate dominated in distance and throws and won the team championship with 201.5 points, trailed by Lenoir-Rhyne in second place with 152 points and Catawba in third with 135 points in the field of 12 teams.

2023 South Atlantic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship
at Anderson, S.C. - Day 2 of 2
Tusculum results
MEN
Finals
100: 4. Tyrell Edwards, 10.46; 5. Marquel Pittman, 10.47; 7. Jordan Taylor, 10.65; 8. Isaiah Olson, 10.69.
400: 3. Zackary Nelson, 47.61.
800: 3. Antonio Aparicio, 1:53.75.
110 hurdles: 5. Jamal Cash, 15.00.
400 hurdles: 5. Daryl Smith Jr., 55.20; 6. Jamal Cash, 56.11.
4x100: 3. Tusculum (Olson, Barber, Pittman, Edwards), 40.40.
4x400: 2. Tusculum (Craven, Nelson, Aparicio, Brewer), 3:14.32.
Shot put: 3. Adrian Gumm, 14.73m (48-4) (school record); 11. Gavin Rowell, 13.25m (43-5 3/4); 14. Mikeal Pillar, 12.96m (42-6 1/4).
Discus: 7. Gavin Rowell, 40.67m (133-5); 11. Adrian Gumm, 38.47m (126-2).
Triple jump: 10. Daryl Smith Jr., 13.77m (45-2 1/4); 13. Joshua Stephens, 13.27m (43-6 1/2).

Team scores: 1. Wingate 221; 2. Lenoir-Rhyne 133.5; 3. Limestone 110; 4. Carson-Newman 99; 5. Catawba 65; 6. Tusculum 57; 7. Anderson 50.5; 8. Newberry 43; 9. Emory & Henry 20; 10. Mars Hill 9; 10. Lincoln Memorial 9; 12. Coker 1.

WOMEN
Finals
100: 7. Kiera Taylor, 12.26.
200: 7. Kiera Taylor, 25.44.
1500: 5. Emily Coddington, 4:41.52.
100 hurdles: 5. Theresa Green-White, 14.32.
400 hurdles: 6. Theresa Green-White, 1:07.02.
4x100: 2. Tusculum (Taylor, Wright, Green-White, Bah), 46.98 (school record).
4x400: 9. Tusculum (Green-White, Taylor, Coddington, Bah), 4:10.02.
Discus: 14. Amber Hogan, 33.19m (108-10).
Shot put: 19. Amber Hogan, 9.96m (32-8 1/4).

Team scores: 1. Wingate 201.5; 2. Lenoir-Rhyne 152; 3. Catawba 135; 4. Carson-Newman 74.5; 5. Limestone 63; 6. Newberry 51; 7. Anderson 48.5; 8. Lincoln Memorial 27; 9. Tusculum 26; 10. Coker 19; 11. Mars Hill 15.5; 12. Emory & Henry 2.