College Track & Field Results – Guilford Competes at the Tar Heel Open

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Senior Chad Norton set the Guilford College record in the 3,000 meters to highlight the Quakers’ performance at the Tar Heel Open Saturday. Guilford was one of two NCAA Division III teams in the non-scoring meet hosted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Norton placed fourth in the 23-man race in a time of eight minutes, 44.10 seconds. His time was four seconds faster than the previous standard, which he set in 2011. Teammate Andris Goncarovs placed 13th in the race in 9:12.19.

Guilford sophomore Yashua Clemons finished 27th among 28 contestants in the 60-meter hurdles, but ran a career-low 10.18 seconds, which stands second in school history.

Rookie Joe Mitchell clocked the eighth-fastest 200-meter dash time in school history. He finished 19th in the 35-man race in 23.44 seconds. Mitchell also ran a leg on Guilford’s 4×400 relay that claimed 16th place among 18 teams in 3:40.75.

The Quakers’ women turned in six top-eight times in school history, and were led by rookie Becca Benfield, who took 24th in the 32-woman shot put. Her throw of 9.02 meters stands second only to the school-record toss of 9.78 meters she had Jan. 19 at the Winston-Salem State Open.

Sophomore Tess Stryk continues to impress in her first track and field campaign. The two-year Guilford soccer letter winner posted the third-best 400 time in school history with a 1:09.57. She edged teammate Rachel Flint for 28th-place in the 30-runner race by just three-hundredths of a second. Flint’s time of 1:09.60 stands fourth all-time at Guilford. Stryk also anchored the Quakers’ 4×400 relay, which placed 16th in 4:41.59, the third-fastest time in school history.

Kaylea Trogdon had two top showings with her 14th-place effort in the long jump and a 34th-place finish in the 200. Her jump of 4.21 meters ranks fifth in school history and her 200 time of 30.96 seconds is sixth-best.

Coach Danny Cash’s teams return to action next weekend at the Hilton Garden Inn Invitational at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, N.C.