LYNCHBURG, Va. – Spring track season is officially underway as Longwood men's and women's track shook off the winter rust at the Brant Tolsma Invitational on Friday and Saturday this weekend.
 
The Lancer program, which is in its second season competing as a team, saw multiple runners continue to both break old records and add some new ones.
 
NOTABLE RESULTS:
 
On the distance side, Benjamin Goulet and Kirsten Morley both broke the program's 3K record, with Morley knocking off 17 seconds and Goulet trimming 15 seconds off a record he set last year. Morley ran the 3K in 10:38:45, and Goulet posted an 8:41.00.
 
In addition, Sophie Farley built on a strong fall season of cross country, where she was the team's top runner, and ran the mile double, competing in both the 800 and the mile. For the mile, she set a personal best with a 5:05.68, 20 seconds faster than her previous top time, and it qualified her for a later event in the sprint: the Darius Dixon Invitational.
 
The men's 800 meter group also put together solid times for their first race, with Chris Smith finishing at 2:00.15 to lead the way.
 
Among sprinters, Ayden Stewart continued to shine. He lowered his best indoor 400 meter time to 51.14, and he added an indoor personal best of 23.02 in the 200 meters.
 
Liliana Arevalo also shaved down her best indoor 400 time to 63.33.
 
Both Nyomi Rhodes and Tristan Duplissey set strong marks in the 60 meter hurdles, a new event for the team to compete in this season. Rhodes ripped off a solid 9.48, and Duplissey ran a 9.79.
 
Matthew Fitzner also broke his own personal indoor best mark in the long jump with a 6.01 meter effort.
 
WHAT THEY SAID:
 
"It was a great kickoff to track for year two," said Longwood Head Cross Country & Track Coach Brooke Craig. "The goal this weekend was to get our racing legs back and the team came away with lots of surprises. The distance squad carried over the team work that worked in the fall into this weekend, and it paid off big."
 
"Overall it was a good meet, and we were focused on working on race models for later in the year, even if the fitness isn't quite there yet," said Longwood Assistant Coach and Head of Sprints, Jumps and Hurdles Rob Gritzer. "The results may be a bit all over the place, but this young team responded well and has a fire under them. The end of the year is what matters most, and I have full confidence we will exceed expectations by then."
 
FULL RESULTS:
 
Women's 60M
58. Nyomi Rhodes: 8.33
60. Trinity Smith: 8.36
71. Liliana Arevalo: 8.59
72. Mayson Jenkins: 8.64
 
Women's 200M
80. Trinity Smith: 27.84
 
Women's 400M
58. Liliana Arevalo: 1:03.33
62. Mason Jenkins: 1:04.38
67. Jocelyn Zanca: 1:10.17
 
Women's 800M
19. Sophie Farley: 2:21.43
 
Women's 1 Mile
12. Sophie Farley: 5:05.68
26. Sam Bolen: 5:18.75
38. Kirsten Morley: 5:28.13
39. Priscilla Keller: 5:30.54
51. Haley Slattery: 5:52.70
 
Women's 3,000M
31. Kirsten Morley: 10:38.45
38. Priscilla Keller: 10:52.64
39. Nicole Pinder: 10:52.70
46. Haley Slattery: 11:13.41
48. Madison Davis: 11:10.25
 
Women's 60M Hurdles
29. Nyomi Rhodes: 9.48
40. Alyssa Pillow: 10.46
 
Women's 4x400M Relay
15. Longwood: 4:20.78 (Nyomi Rhodes, Mayson Jenkins, Jocelyn Zanca, Liliana Arevalo)
 
Women's Long Jump
42. Alyssa Pillow: 4.15 meters
 
Men's 60M
48. Justin Goode: 7.33
55. Cullen Carter: 7.48
 
Men's 200M
43. Ayden Stewart: 23.02
50. Chris Smith: 23.24
55. Cullen Carter: 23.52
56. Justin Goode: 23.52
65. Joshua Martin: 23.86
 
Men's 400M
26. Ayden Stewart: 51.14
47. Elijah McGee: 54.33
52. Tristan Duplissey: 55.74
56. John Louden: 59.33
 
Men's 800M
21. Chris Smith: 2:00.15
24. Joshua Martin: 2:02.31
26. Connor Williams: 2:06.98
 
Men's 1 Mile
18. Benjamin Goulet: 4:28.88
23. Saad Khan: 4:31.98
24. Clinton Clancy: 4:32.87
28. Christian Reid: 4:34.56
38. Misha Wiley: 4:53.48
 
Men's 3,000M
15. Benjamin Goulet: 8:41.00
37. Saad Khan: 9:07.76
43. Clinton Clancy: 9:18.01
 
Men's 5,000M
8. Ethan Pettyjohn: 16:13.27
 
Men's 60M Hurdles
20. Tristan Duplissey: 9.79
 
Men's 4x400M Relay
8. Longwood: 3:27.85 (Elijah McGee, Chris Smith, Joshua Martin, Ayden Stewart)
 
Men's Long Jump
34. Matthew Fitzner: 6.01 meters
43. Cullen Carter: 5.59 meters
 
Men's Triple Jump
17. Matthew Fitzner: 12.93 meters
 
UP NEXT:
 
Longwood returns to the track on Friday and Saturday, February 7-8 at the Liberty Open.
 
#GoWood #HorsePower