Alex Young Tops Collegiate Field in Men's Hammer Throw at Prestigious Charlotte 49er Classic
March 23, 2014 | Track & Field
Charlotte, N.C. - Sophomore Alex Young posted the furthest distance among collegiate participants in the men's hammer throw field, continuing a breakthrough second season as the Runnin' Bulldogs competed at the Charlotte 49er Classic over the weekend.
Coming off his first NCAA Championships berth, Young put up the best collegiate mark in the men's hammer throw, starting his Outdoor season strong with a 2nd place overall finish behind a distance of 61.62 m.
The LaVergne, Tennessee native earned Second Team All-American honors a week ago while competing at his first-ever NCAA Track & Field Championship meet. Young placed 13th in the men's weight throw at 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M.
The Runnin' Bulldogs also put Nathan Padfield (LaVergne, Tenn.) and Carson Sears (Suwanee, Ga.) into the Top 10 of the men's hammer throw. Padfield finished in 6th place with a distance of 54.32 m, and Sears' longest toss went 52.51 m for a 10th place showing.
Young recorded another Top 5 showing in the men's shot put, posting the 4th best mark at 15.53 m. Freshman Jordan Smith (Chersterfield, Va.) took 15th place in the event (14.26 m), Sears finished 17th (13.98 m), and sophomore A.J. White (Hurricane, W.Va.) garnered 18th place (13.78 m).
In the men's discus throw, Sears led the way for the Runnin' Bulldogs with a 12th place finish (44.37 m). Young also competed in the event, placing 16th behind a distance of 43.10 m.
Terry Davis and Chuboy Umeadi leaped their way to Top 15 finishes in the men's triple jump. Davis (Wilson, N.C.) took 10th, hitting the sand at 14.05 m, and Umeadi jumped 13.71 m to place 15th in the event.
In the men's long jump, Tavarus Ferguson (Evans, Ga.) led Gardner-Webb by recording a 16th place finish and a distance of 6.68 m in the event. Freshman jumper Seaver Wait (Candler, N.C.) also put up a Top 20 performance in his specialty, the men's high jump, placing 18th by clearing 1.85 m.
Senior Drew Ford (Wasilla, Alaska) placed 13th in the men's steeplechase, recording a time of 10:20.37 for the Runnin' Bulldogs in the event.
In the men's 110 m hurdles, GWU got a great run from sophomore Josh Wembolua (Matthews, N.C.), whose prelims time of 14.98 earned a 10th place finish in the event. The second-year Runnin' Bulldog was just .12 behind Jamel Presley (St. Peter's, 14.86) for the 8th and last finals qualifying spot.
The Gardner-Webb men edged Indiana to place 7th in the men's 4x400 m relay. The Runnin' Bulldogs' time of 3:18.43 edged the 8th place Hoosiers' time (3:18.47) in the event.
On the women's side, Gardner-Webb received its highest finish from a first-year collegiate performer.
Freshman Sarah Mitchell put up the 3rd best distance in the women's shot put, throwing 13.55 m in the event. Mitchell's throw landed just .21 m behind 1st place finisher Joshlyn Noga's (Charleston Southern, 13.76). Senior Stephanie Hamilton (Blair, Neb.) added a 14th place showing in the event with a distance of 12.07 m in the event.
Junior Nicole Saxton (Tampa, Fla.) raced to a finals qualifying time of 1:05.00 during prelims of the 400 m hurdles and improved on her #8 seed to take 7th place in the event with a finals time of 1:05.51. Adding an 11th place finish in the event was sophomore Sarah Perkins (Gorham, Maine), who crossed the finish line at 1:05.78 in her prelims race.
In the women's javelin throw, three Runnin' Bulldog women finished in the Top 25, led by senior Katie Spiro's (Sylva, N.C.) 35.39 m toss that earned her a 10th place finish in the event. Sophomore Merideth Byl (Tucson, Arizona) placed 16th in the event, throwing 32.92 m, and senior Olivia Moody (Plano, Ill.) finished in the 21st spot behind a distance of 31.20 m.
Senior Jasmine Miles (Amelia, Va.) and Mitchell (Roswell, Ga.) put up Top 15 showings in the women's discus throw, leading the Runnin' Bulldogs in the event by placing 13th (38.28 m) and 15th (37.38 m), respectively.
In the women's pole vault, Elise Moffatt (Kennesaw, Ga.), Megan Melton (Riverside, Calif.) and Kailey Robinson (Connelly Springs, N.C.) cracked the Top 20 by clearing 3.25 m. Moffatt tied for 14th, Melton took 16th, and Robinson finished in 18th place for GWU in the event.
Freshman Kayin Mujahid (Philadelphia, Pa.) posted the 10th best height in the women's high jump, clearing 1.65 m in the event. Indiana's Sarah Maxson finished as the top collegiate performer in the event by clearing 1.75 m.
Another Runnin' Bulldog freshman, Jordan Davis, enjoyed a fast meet on the track. The Atlanta, Ga. native raced to a time of 58.04 in the women's 400 m dash (18th), timed in at 25.27 in the women's 200 m dash (20th), and crossed the finish line with a time of 12.32 in the women's 100 m dash (17th).
Gardner-Webb will look to keep up its success on the track and in the field when the Runnin' Bulldogs compete at the Friday-Saturday Winthrop Invitational (Rock Hill, S.C.), taking place March 28-29.
| Charlotte 49er Classic Results |
