MYRTLE BEACH, SC – Graduate student
Ryan Hunter and junior
Catherine Green set new FMU records this weekend, as the Francis Marion University track & field programs competed at the Myrtle Beach Collegiate Challenge on Friday and Saturday (Mar. 13-14) at the Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium.
The Patriots delivered another productive weekend of competition, breaking two school records, setting 18 Conference Carolinas marks, and achieving 19 personal-best performances. In the team standings, the FMU men's squad tied for 10th overall out of 26 teams while the women's program finished tied for 11th.
FMU will be idle for the next three weeks before traveling to the Orange & Blue Relays, hosted by Savannah State University, on Saturday, April 4, in Savannah, Ga.
Hunter secured a first-place finish and broke his own program record in the men's javelin with a toss of 65.31 meters on his first attempt, while competing in a field with athletes from all three NCAA Divisions. He improved his NCAA Provisional mark and currently holds the fifth-best mark in NCAA Division II.
Green established a new school record in the women's discus and placed third overall with a personal-best toss of 42.68 meters on her fourth attempt. She holds the second-best mark in the event in the Conference Carolinas.
Additionally in the men's javelin, freshman
Blake Hamilton improved his league qualifying mark and placed fifth overall following a personal-best distance of 50.13 meters. Senior
Andrew Lance achieved a Conference Carolinas mark in the javelin with a season-best toss of 44.25 meters on his second attempt.
The Patriots also delivered two additional Conference Carolinas marks in the women's discus on Saturday. Sophomore
Jazmine McDonald-Craft placed fourth overall with a mark of 41.61 meters. Freshman
Skyy Ruben contributed a toss of 34.72 meters in the event.
Sophomore
Aukeyonna Sims, a Darlington, S.C., native, set a league qualifying mark with a leap of 5.34 meters in the women's long jump. She still holds the top mark in the event following a jump of 5.62 meters in the season-opener. Sims also hit the league mark in the women's high jump after clearing 1.60 meters to finish eighth.
Francis Marion produced three Conference Carolinas marks in the women's shot put, including a pair of top-10 finishes. McDonald-Craft placed eighth with a distance of 12.09 meters, while Green hit 11.78 meters to finish ninth overall. Ruben registered a 14th-place finish with a mark of 11.05 meters.
In the men's 400 meters, the sophomore duo of
Davin Staley and
Alex Lance each posted personal-best times and league standards after crossing the line at 49.21 and 49.29, respectively.
Freshman
Justin Miller achieved the conference qualifying mark in the men's high jump after placing sixth with a clearance of 1.85 meters.
In the men's triple jump, sophomore
Rashawn Byrd finished third overall with a season-best leap of 14.12 meters. Sophomore
Cameron Glover registered an eighth-place finish with a mark of 13.47 meters while Miller placed ninth at 13.39 meters.
Senior
Rileigh Lacy finished 11th in the women's pole vault with a mark of 3.20 meters, surpassing the league qualifying mark.
