
Photo by: © Tim Cowie | GWUPhotos.com
December 09, 2017 | Track & Field
BOONE, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb men's and women's track and field teams had an outstanding start to the 2017-18 indoor season, as the squads set eleven new personal bests throughout the two-day Mountaineer Open at the Holmes Convocation Center at Appalachian State University.
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In the men's weight throw, Jordan Smith placed first overall with a toss of 19.00 meters, a new personal best. Ross Lucia also had a personal best mark of 16.15 meters to finish in second place.
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Smith also took home the men's shot put title with a mark of 16.41 meters, while Lucia finished seventh at 13.40 meters.
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Natasha Akbarizadeh placed first in the women's weight throw, with a new personal best distance of 17.27 meters. Petra Jakeljic finished in second place with a mark of 16.85 meters. Sarah Mitchell placed fourth at 16.45 meters, while Cailen Blaire placed eighth with a personal best toss of 15.12 meters.
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Mitchell finished first overall in the women's shot put with a toss of 13.56 meters. Blaire finished in fifth with a mark of 10.31 meters, and Amanda Hall had a personal best toss of 9.79 meters to place sixth overall.
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Chase Thornhill took home a first-place finish in the men's 400-meter dash, clocking in at 50.70 seconds. Caleb Silvey earned a third place finish with a time of 52.63 seconds.
In the men's 55-meter dash, Carlos Williams clocked in with a personal best time of 6.50 seconds to finish in fourth place.
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Karin Sastre placed fourth in the women's pole vault with a personal best mark of 3.51 meters. Sarah Coleman finished sixth with a height of 3.36 meters.
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Taylor Hotchkiss set a new PR in the women's long jump with a distance of 5.12 meters to finish in sixth place. Amanda Hall followed in seventh place at 4.76 meters, and Callie Rhea placed ninth at 3.67 meters
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Hotchkiss also finished in third place in the women's 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.60 seconds, followed by Ashleigh Cleveland in fourth place with a time of 9.03 seconds.
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Cleveland also had a mark of 1.50 meters in the women's high jump to earn a fourth place finish.
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In the women's mile run, Amy Turlington finished with a new personal best time of 5:43.89 to place in fourth, while Hannah Jones finished fifth with a new PR of 5:49.20. Brittany Ollivierre followed in sixth place with a time of 6:10.70.
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In the women's 200-meter dash, Kira Ramsey placed second with a time of 28:54, while Maya Mallory finished in fourth with a personal best time of 28.70 seconds.
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Ramsey also finished in seventh in the women's 55-meter dash, clocking in at 7.62 seconds.
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In the men's 55-meter hurdles, Austin Evans took home a fourth place finish with a time of 8.05 seconds.
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Diviana Forrest finished in fourth place in the women's 400-meter dash with a time of 1:01.76.
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Keaton Poole placed second in the men's 3,000-meter run, clocking in at 9:22.48. Mitchell Brown followed in third place with a time of 9:31.05, while Ezekiel Martin finished fourth at 9:48.01 and Josh Parks finished fifth at 9:49.85.
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Patrick Sastre finshed in fourth in the men's mile run with a time of 4:47.30. He was followed by Sam Hermanns, who finished fifth with a time of 5:27.13, while Bogdan Podgaisky finished in sixth place with a time of 5:47.93
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In the women's 3,000-meter run, Gabby Cortese finished in sixth place, timing in at 11:16.53. Rachel White followed in seventh with a time of 12:08.30, Michaela Williams finished eighth at 12:15.87, and Sydney Davis placed ninth with a time of 12:21.23.
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Mason Marshall finished in eighth in the men's 200-meter dash, clocking in at 24.71 seconds. Jamel Jordan followed in ninth at 25.04 seconds.
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The men's team had a pair of second-place relay finishes as the team of Sastre, Hermanns, Poole, and Podgaisky finished the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:51.79, and the team of Austin Evans, Chase Thornhill, Williams, and Marshall finished the 4x300 relay with a time of 2:29.64.
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The women's 4x300 relay team of Forrest, Hotchkiss, Hannah Sparacio, and Cleveland finished in third with a time of 2:54.25, while the grouping of Hall, Kelsey Houser, Rhea, and Mallory finished in fifth at 3:07.10.
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The men's team finished second overall, while the women's team finished in third place. Host Appalachian State took first place for both the men's and women's events.
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Gardner-Webb will return to Boone, N.C. for its next events, taking part in the Appalachian Open on Friday, January 19
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In the men's weight throw, Jordan Smith placed first overall with a toss of 19.00 meters, a new personal best. Ross Lucia also had a personal best mark of 16.15 meters to finish in second place.
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Smith also took home the men's shot put title with a mark of 16.41 meters, while Lucia finished seventh at 13.40 meters.
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Natasha Akbarizadeh placed first in the women's weight throw, with a new personal best distance of 17.27 meters. Petra Jakeljic finished in second place with a mark of 16.85 meters. Sarah Mitchell placed fourth at 16.45 meters, while Cailen Blaire placed eighth with a personal best toss of 15.12 meters.
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Mitchell finished first overall in the women's shot put with a toss of 13.56 meters. Blaire finished in fifth with a mark of 10.31 meters, and Amanda Hall had a personal best toss of 9.79 meters to place sixth overall.
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Chase Thornhill took home a first-place finish in the men's 400-meter dash, clocking in at 50.70 seconds. Caleb Silvey earned a third place finish with a time of 52.63 seconds.
In the men's 55-meter dash, Carlos Williams clocked in with a personal best time of 6.50 seconds to finish in fourth place.
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Karin Sastre placed fourth in the women's pole vault with a personal best mark of 3.51 meters. Sarah Coleman finished sixth with a height of 3.36 meters.
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Taylor Hotchkiss set a new PR in the women's long jump with a distance of 5.12 meters to finish in sixth place. Amanda Hall followed in seventh place at 4.76 meters, and Callie Rhea placed ninth at 3.67 meters
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Hotchkiss also finished in third place in the women's 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.60 seconds, followed by Ashleigh Cleveland in fourth place with a time of 9.03 seconds.
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Cleveland also had a mark of 1.50 meters in the women's high jump to earn a fourth place finish.
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In the women's mile run, Amy Turlington finished with a new personal best time of 5:43.89 to place in fourth, while Hannah Jones finished fifth with a new PR of 5:49.20. Brittany Ollivierre followed in sixth place with a time of 6:10.70.
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In the women's 200-meter dash, Kira Ramsey placed second with a time of 28:54, while Maya Mallory finished in fourth with a personal best time of 28.70 seconds.
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Ramsey also finished in seventh in the women's 55-meter dash, clocking in at 7.62 seconds.
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In the men's 55-meter hurdles, Austin Evans took home a fourth place finish with a time of 8.05 seconds.
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Diviana Forrest finished in fourth place in the women's 400-meter dash with a time of 1:01.76.
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Keaton Poole placed second in the men's 3,000-meter run, clocking in at 9:22.48. Mitchell Brown followed in third place with a time of 9:31.05, while Ezekiel Martin finished fourth at 9:48.01 and Josh Parks finished fifth at 9:49.85.
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Patrick Sastre finshed in fourth in the men's mile run with a time of 4:47.30. He was followed by Sam Hermanns, who finished fifth with a time of 5:27.13, while Bogdan Podgaisky finished in sixth place with a time of 5:47.93
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In the women's 3,000-meter run, Gabby Cortese finished in sixth place, timing in at 11:16.53. Rachel White followed in seventh with a time of 12:08.30, Michaela Williams finished eighth at 12:15.87, and Sydney Davis placed ninth with a time of 12:21.23.
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Mason Marshall finished in eighth in the men's 200-meter dash, clocking in at 24.71 seconds. Jamel Jordan followed in ninth at 25.04 seconds.
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The men's team had a pair of second-place relay finishes as the team of Sastre, Hermanns, Poole, and Podgaisky finished the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:51.79, and the team of Austin Evans, Chase Thornhill, Williams, and Marshall finished the 4x300 relay with a time of 2:29.64.
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The women's 4x300 relay team of Forrest, Hotchkiss, Hannah Sparacio, and Cleveland finished in third with a time of 2:54.25, while the grouping of Hall, Kelsey Houser, Rhea, and Mallory finished in fifth at 3:07.10.
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The men's team finished second overall, while the women's team finished in third place. Host Appalachian State took first place for both the men's and women's events.
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Gardner-Webb will return to Boone, N.C. for its next events, taking part in the Appalachian Open on Friday, January 19
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