SALISBURY, N.C. --- Tusculum University set five women's and two men's school records as the Pioneers competed at the Blue Bear Invite at Livingstone College on Saturday.
Junior Jahzara Hart set records in the 100 and 200 meters and was part of the Pioneers' record-setting 4x100 relay, grad student Tashianna Gray broke the program record in the 400 meters and junior Danyell Booker broke her own record in the shot put. The Tusculum men had two throwing records broken by sophomore Noah Girard in the javelin and sophomore Dylan Horne in the discus.
The Pioneers will compete at the Electric City Invitational, hosted by Anderson University on Friday-Saturday, April 4-5.
MEN'S RECAP
Horne won the discus with a throw of 50.08 meters (164 feet, 3 inches), breaking his own record of 47.95 meters set last season at Western Carolina.
In the javelin, Girard threw 54.37 meters to break the record of 52.98 meters set by David Saruni at Lenoir-Rhyne in 2022. Girard led a top-three sweep for the Pioneers, with sophomore Michael McGrath second at 50.45 meters (165 feet, 6 inches) and Horne third at 48.79 meters (160 feet, 1 inch). Senior Benit Kitapindu was seventh at 42.90 meters (140 feet, 9 inches).
In the shot put, junior Adrian Gumm was second at 15.09 meters (49 feet, 6 1/4 inches), the fifth-best mark in program history, while junior Gavin Rowell had a career-best throw of 14.77 meters (48 feet, 5 1/2 inches) and took third place. Senior Jaden Gary was fourth at 14.70 meters (48 feet, 2 3/4 inches).
Senior Joshua Stephens nearly set the program record in the long jump, but settled for second place in competition with a mark of 7.06 meters (23 feet, 2 inches), the second-best in program history.
On the track, freshman Mica Ruffin won the 200 meters at 21.30 seconds and was tied for second in the 100 meters with junior Isaiah Olson at 10.63 seconds. Stephens finished sixth in the 100 at 10.84 seconds.
Tusculum's 4x100 relay of freshman Jonathan Harris, Olson, sophomore Kayvon Pickett and Stephens won with a time of 41.10 seconds, with a fourth-place finish for the 4x400 relay of senior Xay Bogus, Harris, Ruffin and freshman John Ross.
WOMEN'S RECAP
Hart swept to victory in the 100 and 200 meters, breaking her own school record in the 100 with a time of 11.36 seconds and beating the mark of teammate Kiera Taylor in the 200 meters at 23.49 seconds.
Tusculum had the top five runners in the 100 meters, with junior Shanice Cox in second at 11.71 seconds, freshman Kori Moore third at 11.74 seconds, freshman Qitarah Castlin fourth at 11.87 seconds, and junior Theresa Green-White in fifth at 11.88 seconds.
Tusculum's 4x100 relay of Taylor, Cox, Green-White and Hart was timed at 44.91 seconds, which at the moment of the race was the fastest time in Division II this season. It also broke their own school record of 45.85 seconds set a week earlier at Appalachian State.
In the 200, Moore and Cox tied for third at 24.33 seconds, both faster than the previous record of 24.40 seconds set by Taylor at last year's SAC Championship.
Gray was clocked at 56.16 seconds in the 400 meters, shattering the previous program record of 57.14 seconds set by Earthaiza Watkins at the 2019 SAC Championship. Gray also took eighth in the 200 meters with a time of 24.98 seconds.
Green-White finished second in the 100 hurdles with a time of 14.01 seconds, followed by Moore in fourth place at 14.25 seconds. Grad student Eva Tolliver was fifth in the 400 hurdles at 1:10.45.
Booker broke her own school record in the shot put which she set last week at Appalachian State, taking first place with a throw of 12.73 meters (41 feet, 9 1/4 inches) to break her mark of 11.61 meters (38 feet, 1 inch).
Freshman Agustina Dittrich was fifth in the javelin at 27.78 inches and sixth in the long jump at 5.24 meters (17 feet, 2 1/4 inches), while sophomore Kieley Smith took sixth in the javelin at 26.24 meters (86 feet, 1 inch) and seventh in the high jump at 1.40 meters (4 feet, 7 inches).
Blue Bear Invite - at Salisbury, N.C.
Tusculum results
MEN
100: 2. Mica Ruffin, 10.63; 2. Isaiah Olson, 10.63; 6. Joshua Stephens, 10.84; 18. Jonathan Harris, 11.08; 33. Kayvon Pickett, 11.31.
200: 1. Mica Ruffin, 21.30; 28. Kayvon Pickett, 22.65.
400: 20. Xay Bogus, 51.26; 24. Benit Kitapindu, 52.76.
400 hurdles: 13. John Ross, 59.68.
4x100: 1. Tusculum (Harris, Olson, Pickett, Stephens), 41.10.
4x400: 4. Tusculum (Bogus, Harris, Ruffin, Ross), 3:25.67.
Shot put: 2. Adrian Gumm, 15.09m (49-6 1/4); 3. Gavin Rowell, 14.77m (48-5 1/2); 4. Jaden Gary, 14.70m (48-2 3/4); 14. Richard Burney, 12.52m (41-1).
Discus: 1. Dylan Horne, 50.08m (164-3) (school record); 10. Gavin Rowell, 40.48m (132-9); 11. Adrian Gumm, 40.35m (132-4)
Javelin: 1. Noah Girard, 54.37m (178-4) (school record); 2. Michael McGrath, 50.45m (165-6); 3. Dylan Horne, 48.79m (160-1); 7. Benit Kitapindu, 42.90m (140-9).
Long jump: 2. Joshua Stephens, 7.06m (23-2).
WOMEN
100: 1. Jahzara Hart, 11.36 (school record); 2. Shanice Cox, 11.71; 3. Kori Moore, 11.74; 4. Qitarah Castlin, 11.87; 5. Theresa Green-White, 11.88; 10. Kiera Taylor, 12.13; 22. Kieley Smith, 12.65; 28. McKenzie Morton, 12.94; 31. Agustina Dittrich, 13.06.
100 hurdles: 2. Theresa Green-White, 14.01; 4. Kori Moore, 14.25; 16. Eva Tolliver, 21.66.
200: 1. Jahzara Hart, 23.49 (school record); 3. Shanice Cox, 24.33; 3. Kori Moore, 24.33; 8. Tashianna Gray, 24.98; 12. Kiera Taylor, 25.43; 21. McKenzie Morton, 26.15; 33. Kieley Smith, 27.23.
400: 2. Tashianna Gray, 56.16 (school record).
400 hurdles: 5. Eva Tolliver, 1:10.45.
4x100: 1. Tusculum (Taylor, Cox, Green-White, Hart), 44.91 (school record).
Shot put: 1. Danyell Booker, 12.73m (41-9 1/4) (school record).
Discus: 12. Amber Hogan, 29.13m (95-7).
Javelin: 5. Agustina Dittrich, 27.78m (91-1); 6. Kieley Smith, 26.24m (86-1).
Long jump: 6. Agustina Dittrich, 5.24m (17-2 1/4); 10. Qitarah Castlin, 4.97m (16-3 3/4).
High jump: 7. Kieley Smith, 1.40m (4-7).
