BOONE, N.C. – Gardner-Webb opened their indoor track season at the John Weaver Invitational this past weekend hosted by Appalachian State. The women's team ended the meet finishing in third overall with 76 points and the men's in fifth. The teams combined for four wins across the 28 events during the two-day event.
 
Karmen Taylor tied her career best in the weight throw hitting a mark of 16.28 meters. In the event she finished 5^th. Taliyah Wade moved into 4^th on the all-time list in the shot put going for 13.11 meters for a fourth-place finish.
 
Joshua Fischer also hit a new personal best and finished first in the weight throw throwing for 18.55. Freshman Quentin Peterson finished 6^th in the event having a 14.13 best throw.
 
In his first meet with the 'Dogs, Mason Jones ended the high jump in a tie for 5^th after clearing on the 1.80 meter jump. Eliel Cuesta also scored in the event in a tie for 7^th going over the bar at 1.75.
 
Saylor Abbott scored four points in the women's pole vault clearing at 3.27m., a new personal best.
 
Jesse Pittman advanced to the finals of the 55m hurdles and ran a personal best of 8.09 in the round for the new 9^th best time in school history.
 
In the women's 55m open, Traci Cross broke the 7.5 second barrier and set the 9^th-best time in school history.

The women's mile saw Gardner-Webb have four of the top five finishers with Julia Reinboth finishing first in 5:44 and Camile Sykes closely behind at 5:48. Teryn Bour was fourth at 5:57, a new career best, and Brooklyn Tretter at fifth in 6:01. On the men's side, Mark Mellon notched a 8^th-place finish and cut almost 20 seconds off his personal best entering the day.
 
In the women's 300m, Kendall Reece improved on her personal best in the event with a 44.93.
 
Amy Prugh won the women's 3000m coming across the line at 10:39 for the sixth best time in the event in Gardner-Webb history. Jessica Perriello finished second at 11:05. Chloe McDaniel was fourth at 12:01 and Jennifer Escalera in sixth at 12:08.
 
Ryan Morita had a second-place finish in the men's 3K being nudged by .24 seconds at the line by Quinn Jacquez of UNC Asheville. Morita's 8:59 was the seventh-best in program history and is a new PR. Dylan Phillips finished the race in 9:11 in third and Ethan Bentley was in 5^th at 9:40.
 
In the 4x300 relays, the women's team had a first-place finish with a time of 2:51. In the men's race, they came across the line in sixth with a time of 2:30.