NEED TO KNOW:
School Records:
Silas Goolsby (60m, 6.995, 200m, 21.60)
Bella Caccamo (Unconverted, 800m, 2:21.69)
Columbia, SC— Piedmont men's and women's track & field traveled to Columbia, South Carolina, for the USC Invitational.
Most of the Lions' competition was against Division I schools, with a few Division II. The Lions again saw many new personal records set and two school records fall.
Goolsby tried his hand in the 60m this weekend and not only made it to the semifinals but also set the school record twice. He finished 10th overall with a time of 7.00 in a tie with another runner. Also running in the 200m, he placed fifth overall and set the new indoor school record with a time of 21.60.
There were multiple athletes with standout performances and top 10 finishes.
Senior
Bella Caccamo is on a roll this indoor season, setting another personal record in the 800m by 5 seconds. Caccamo finished third overall in the meet with a time of 2:21.69. With that race, Caccamo has the indoor unconverted school record. The indoor converted record however, sits with Jaycie Ponce by a few milliseconds.
On the field side,
Matthew Blocksom led the lions in weight throw, setting a personal best with a mark of 14.14 m (seventh), followed by
George Ketch with a mark of 12.86 m, placing tenth.
In the men's long jump
Bryant Murray placed fifth with a mark of 6.45 m, and following him
Al Martin jumped 6.00 m, placing 10th. For the triple jump,
Franklin Brown Jr. set a personal best, jumping 13.04 m and placing third overall. Right behind his teammate was
Al Martin who jumped 12.63 m, placing fourth overall.
For the women's shot put,
Kayla Ward led the Lions with a 10.93 m mark, placing sixth, and
Endiya Burton set a personal best with an 8.93 m mark, placing ninth.
In women's weight throw,
KK Thomas led the lions with a seventh-place mark of 12.69 m. Following Thomas was
Shealee Gallegos in eighth (12.09 m) and
Endiya Burton who set a personal best with a mark of 8.93 m, placing ninth.
The field athletes had an impressive performance this weekend all across the board.
On the track side, plenty of runners had top ten finishes and personal best performances. In the 60m,
Bryant Murray set a new personal best, crossing the line at 7.24. Another sprint event, in the 200m,
Ja'Nia Gray set a personal best, finishing with a time of 31.07.
On the distance side,
Katie Payne set a personal best in the 800m and placed 10th overall with a time of 2:47.96, beating her previous best by 5 seconds.
In the mile,
Madison Worsham set a new personal best by 4 seconds, finishing with a time of 6:07.53, and placing ninth overall.
Brody Geckler set a new personal best in the 3K, finishing with a time of 9:41.14.
Overall, the Lions are ready to take on the outdoor season in just a few short weeks.
Next up, the Lions are scheduled to compete at the CNU Qualifier in Newport News, VA, on March 1st.
Field Events –
bold denotes school record
Track Events-
bold denotes school record
