HPU Men’s Track Begins Outdoor Season at Wake Forest

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The High Point University men’s track & field team opened the 2013 outdoor season at the Wake Forest Open on Friday. Freshman Austin Miller took second in the pole vault and was HPU’s top finisher. The meet continues Saturday.

Miller cleared 4.70 meters (15-5) to place second in the pole vault. He tied the winner, Ryan Steinbugl from St. Francis (Pa.), but Steinbugl had no misses while Miller had two. Miller’s mark was just off the HPU record of 4.75 (15-7) set by T.J. Brancaccio in 2008. Freshman Harris Coley competed in the B-section of the pole vault, clearing 3.80 meters (12-5) to place sixth.

Junior Evan Emery placed third in the 100-meter dash in a time of 10.53. He was the top finisher in the preliminaries with a time of 10.60 seconds. Emery set the facility record of 10.31 at last year’s Wake Forest Open. Freshman Andrew Kuras won his heat placed 37th overall in the 100-meter dash.

Senior Dakota Peachee ran a career-best 3:51.86 to place sixth in a highly-competitive 1,500-meter field. His previous best was 3:55.39.

In the 110-meter hurdles, freshman Dennis Crawford finished second in his heat and 12th overall with a time of 14.76. He was just 0.15 away from qualifying for the final. Senior Ryan Venable took 14th overall in 15.02 and junior Tristan Faure took 18th in 15.47.

Freshman Nick Hula was the first of five HPU finishers in the 400-meter. He placed 34th with a time of 50.56. Four of High Point’s middle distance runners were in the B-section of the 1,500-meter led by freshman Paul O’Donoghue, who placed 23rd in 4:15.50.

The meet continues on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. The Panthers’ first competitors will be freshmen Adam DeVito and Jordan Carr and redshirt-sophomore Max Coleman in the long jump at 10 a.m.