Columbia, S.C. - Gardner-Webb sophomore thrower Carson Sears shattered the Hammer Throw school record he had set just a week prior as the Runnin' Bulldogs track & field squads competed at the Weems Baskin Relays on the campus of the University of South Carolina.

Sears (Suwanee, Ga.) threw a distance of 64.48 m in the Men's Hammer Throw, placing 6th in the event. The sophomore's 'B' Standard Olympic Trial Qualifying performance bested the 62.46 m mark he set at last weekend's 49er Classic (Charlotte, N.C.).

Junior Ivana Hughes (Evans, Ga.) gave the GWU women's squad a 4th place finish in the 800 m Run, finishing with a personal best time of 2:13.02 in the event.

Also achieving a Top 5 showing were juniors Bethany Wright (Clayton, Ga.) and Taylor Cook (Boone, N.C.), as the two GWU athletes tied for 5th in the Women's Pole Vault at 3.35 m.

Senior Elisabeth Sawyer (Charlotte, N.C.) took 4th in the Women's 3000 m Steeplechase, recording a time of 11:49.54 in the event.

Another Runnin' Bulldog senior, jumper Sarah Herd (Cherryville, N.C.), recorded a Top 10 showing in Columbia, as the senior took 6th in the Women's High Jump at 1.60 m.

GWU got a pair of 11th place showings thanks to senior Katy Milton and junior Ariel Zimmerman. Milton (Monroe, N.C.) leaped a distance of 5.03 m in the Women's Long Jump to finish 11th and Zimmerman (Williamsburg, Va.) was 11th in the Women's 1500 m Run, timing in at 4:48.08.

Junior Yazzming Lee (Paterson, N.J.) gave GWU a 12th place finish in the Women's Hammer Throw, tossing a distance of 47.21 m in the event.

Sophomore Kristen Hurley, the reigning Big South Indoor Pentathlon Champion, picked up a 17th place finish in the 100 m Hurdles, finishing in 15.65.

Gardner-Webb's A 4 x 100 m Relay finished in 12th place, as T'Keyah Bell, Wright, Nancy Cates, and Milton teamed up to finish in 49.30.

Joining Sears in the standout performances from the Gardner-Webb men was sophomore Mike McClay (Lawrenceville, Ga.), whose time of 4:03.03 in the Men's 1500 m Run earned him a 5th place finish in the event.

Gardner-Webb's throwers put up strong performances. In addition to his school record in the Hammer Throw, Sears represented the Runnin' Bulldog men with a 4th place showing in the Men's Shot Put, throwing a distance of 15.70 m. Gardner-Webb senior Travis Rogers (Conyers, Ga.), who was 12th in the event at 14.19 m, also posted a 10th place showing in the Hammer Throw, recording a distance of 54.80 m.

Senior C.J. Wise (Butler, Pa.) recorded an 18th place showing in the Hammer Throw, tossing 48.52 m.

In the Men's Long Jump, freshman Chris Darden (Athens, Ga.) put up an 8th best distance, jumping 6.82 m in the event. Fellow freshman Ben Bell (Greensboro, N.C.) recorded personal bests in both the 100 m Dash and Javelin Throw at 11.84 and 35.0 m respectively.

Darden picked up a second Top 10 finish in the Men's High Jump, grabbing 10th place with a top height of 1.85 m.

Sophomore Tavarus Ferguson (Evans, Ga.) recorded a distance of 6.27 m in the Men's Long Jump, placing 18th in the event.

Gardner-Webb put two athletes in the Top 15 of the Men's 3000 m Steeplechase, headlined by sophomore Drew Ford (Wasilla, Alaska), who finished 10th in a personal best 10:46.92. Fellow sophomore Jarrett Willis (Shelby, N.C.) took 15th in the event with a time of 11:06.61.

Freshman Miles Harris (Atlanta, Ga.) led the Runnin' Bulldogs in the Men's 400 m Dash, finishing 16th with a time of 49.98. Gardner-Webb got another Top 20 finish from junior Josiah Stanton-Brooks (Seattle, Wa.), whose time of 4:13.00 in the Men's 1500 m Run netted a 17th place finish.

GWU was led in the 800 m Run by sophomore Trey Crook (Lexington, N.C.), whose time of 2:00.99 was 18th best in the event.

The Runnin' Bulldogs' A 4 x 100 m Relay team (Darden, Ferguson, Terry Davis, and Codi Merritt) finished in 8th position after running to a season best time of 43.31.

Gardner-Webb track & field will next be in action at the Asics Winthrop Invitational March 29 -31.