HUNTINGTON, W.Va.—University of Charleston Track & Field started the New Year off competing in the Marshall Alumni Classic in Huntington, West Virginia. UC's two victories came in the Men's 4 x 400 Relay and Men's Shot Put.
Men's 4 x 400 Relay
Bram De Raedt, Tim Gutzeit, Damian Smith and Michael Garrett came out on top in the 4 x 400 with a time of 3:20.61 to give Charleston one of its two victories on the day. Marshall University finished close behind with a time of 3:21.11 to secure second place, while Point Park University claimed third at 3:23.82.
Men's Shot Put
Kellen Tropeck took first place in shot put with a mark of 15.15m to give Charleston its second win of the day, while Frankie Winter and Julian Matthews took third and eighth place with marks of 14.33m and 13.60m. Luke Messinger and Mathias Mees finished in the top-20 with Messinger claiming eleventh place and Mees Claiming fourteenth place.
Men's 60 Meters Finals
Timber Huysmans finished in third place behind two Campbellsville University runners with a time of 6.95 seconds.
Men's 200 Meters
Tim Gutzeit was the top finisher for the Golden Eagles, as he finished in tenth place with a time of 22.79 seconds. Joshua Sterner was the second Golden Eagle to cross the finish line, finishing in seventeenth place with a time of 23.95.
Men's 400 Meters
With a time of 51.28 seconds, Damian Smith secured fourth place for Charleston. Point Park took first place, while Campbellsville took second and third place.
Men's 300 Meters
Alejandro Salgado put up a valiant effort in the 300m with a time of 35.36 seconds. He finished in second place behind Marshall University's Ethan Bowens who crossed the finish line at 35.10 seconds.
Men's Mile
Cole Friend and Dennis McCheskey finished back-to-back with times of 4:32.03 and 4:32.24 to secure ninth and tenth place for UC, while Tyler Hayes took fourteenth place at 4:34.72. Ashton Weaver and Blake Stanton also claimed twenty-fourth and thirty-sixth place in the race.
Men's 60 Hurdles Finals
Roberto Agrizzi finished first for Charleston with a time of 8.46 seconds to take fourth place. Campbellsville University took first and second and Marietta College took third.
Men's High Jump
With a mark of 1.80m, Charleston's Michael Garrett tied for fourth place in the high jump. Like Garrett, Cameron Tropeck tied for seventh place at 1.75m.
Men's Pole Vault
Mathias Mees soared to a third place finish in the pole vault at 4.05m. Brady Williams from Otterbein and Wright State's Oliver Murray tied for first place at 4.15m.
Men's Long Jump
Mees also showed off his springs in the long jump, finishing in fifth place at 6.90m. Alejandro Salgado claimed sixteenth place with a mark of 6.15m.
Men's Triple Jump
Like the high jump, Mees took fourth place with a mark of 13.23m. Fellow West Virginia Wesleyan's Michael Hansford took first place at 14.11m, while Bluefield State University and Point Park finished closely behind in third and fourth place.
Women's 400 Meters
Balie Destefano raced to a second place finish with a time of 59.41 seconds. Marshall's Marlee Porter took first place at 59.32 seconds.
Women's Triple Jump
At 11.62m, Laura Delgado de Torres finished in second place behind West Virginia Wesleyan's Samantha Cash. Cash took first place with a mark of 11.76m.
Women's Shot Put
Abby McKinney claimed third at 12.01m. Marshall's Rebecca Merritt and Markayla Moore took first and second at 13.59m and 12.47m.
Women's Weight Throw
McKinney also took fourth in the weight throw with a mark of 15.78m. Marshall University swept the first three spots with Merritt coming out on top at 18.61m.
Women's 300 Meters
Charleston's Camila Hoya finished first for the Golden Eagles with a time of 41.68 seconds to secure third place behind two runners from Marshall. Maya Clark and Erica Davis finished closely behind with times of 42.39 seconds and 44.70 seconds.
Women's 200 Meters
The Golden Eagles had three top-20 finishers in this race with Dasheya Booker taking thirteenth place at 27.90 seconds, Sage McLaughlin fifteenth place at 28.03 seconds and Maliah McCann-Coles in sixteenth place at 28.06 seconds.
Women's 800 Meters
Charleston's sole runner in the 800m, Nadia Galore, claimed eighth place at 2:35.66. Marshall's Hannah Wyler took first place with a time of 2:18.07.
Women's 4 x 400 Relay
Balie Destefano, Erica Davis, Emily Kupfner and Sage McLaughlin took sixth place in the 4 x 400 at 4:33.62. Marshall won the event with a time of 4:00.52.
Women's Long Jump
Mia Huber finished in fifteenth place at 4.56m and Kalista Milne finished in seventeenth place at 4.44m. Dominica Cruz and Amara Mason also finished back-to-back with Cruz taking nineteenth place with a mark of 4.36m and Amara Mason Taking twentieth place at 4.20m.
Up Next:
University of Charleston's Track & Field will continue their indoor season on Saturday, January 20 in Youngstown, Ohio at the Youngstown State University Indoor Track and Field Invitational.
