BLACKSBURG, VA. – It was another good weekend for the Gardner- Webb University indoor track and field squad as the Runnin' Bulldogs returned to competition, after two-weeks of training, to compete at the Virginia Tech Challenge held this past weekend (Friday 2/16 and Saturday 2/17) at the Rector Field House on the campus of Virginia Tech University.

Nine different members of the women's team etched their names in the school's record book, including junior Jessica Perriello, who finished in fourth place and established an all-time school mark in the women's 600-meter dash with a time of 1:38.84.  

Junior Teryn Bour was sixth overall in the 600-meter as her personal-best (1:41.46) places her No. 3 on the Gardner-Webb all-time list.

On the men's team, four different Runnin' Bulldogs moved onto the school's all-time list in their respective events, led by sophomore Ryan Morita who won the men's 600-meter dash and established a new school-record with a time of 1:22.77.

Following Morita in the men's 600m, junior Mark Melon finished in second place, running a personal-best (1:28.45) to move into the No.5 position on the school's all-time list.

In the men's field events, Gardner-Webb senior Noah Meadows took fourth place (6.82m/22-4½) in the men's long jump, which placed him in eighth on the school's record list. Meadows (21.99) also finished sixth in the men's 200-meters which places him No.3 on the school record list.

Sophomore Quentin Peterson's personal-best (17.77) in the men's weight throw took fourth place and put him at No.7 on the 'Dawgs all-time list.

In the women's 60-meter dash prelims, the Runnin' Bulldogs took first-place as a team led by junior Deborah Marlow who finished first with a personal-best (7.63) that puts her No.2 all-time in school history. Marlow's (25.27) fourth-place finish in the women's 200-meter dash ties her for No.3 all-time in program history.

Freshman Anna Spencer -who holds the school record in the women's 300-meter dash and is No.7 all-time in the 200-meter dash - is now No.3 all-time in the women's 60-meter as she finished second in the prelims with a personal-best 7.67. Spencer wound up finishing first-overall in the 60-meter on day two with a time of 7.73.

Sophomore Jada Pittman (7.77) finished second behind Spencer in the women's 60-meter on day No.2.  Pittman is now No.4 on the school's all-time women's 60-meter list as she placed third in the 60-meter prelims with a personal-best 7.75.  

In the women's long jump, Pittman is also tied for No. 4 on the school's record list as her (5.58) at Virginia Tech tied with freshman teammate Teandra Clemons (5.58), as well as senior Alyiah Eugene (5.58), who both turned in personal-best jumps over the weekend.
 
 In the women's 1000-meter, senior Jennifer Escalara (3:15.64) took sixth place with a personal-best that put her No.8 on the school's all-time list. Junior Alena Ivanov (58.40) also had a personal-best in the women's 400-meter dash which puts her No. 8 in the school annals after a sixth-place finish.

Rounding out the weekend for the Runnin' Bulldogs, the women's 4X400-meter relay team of Spencer, Ivanov, Marlow and Bour placed third with a time of 3:53.65 that is fourth-best in program history.
 
"We had another solid weekend," said Gardner-Webb track coach Greg Thiel. "We are excited for the Big South indoor conference championship next week."
 
NEXT UP:  Gardner-Webb will return to Rector Field House on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. next weekend for the 2024 Big South Men's & Women's Indoor Track & Field Championship. The two-day event will be Friday (2/23) and Saturday (2/24). Participating teams will be Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, High Point, Radford, UNC Asheville, USC Upstate and Winthrop.