ROCK HILL, S.C. — Junior Jeff LaCoste and sophomore Paddy Grandinali placed third and fourth, respectively, in the men’s 10,000-meter to lead the High Point University men’s track & field team on the first day of the Big South Championship in Rock Hill, S.C.
LaCoste made his debut in the 10K and ran a time of 30:29.50. He stayed with winner Amon Terer of Campbell and runner-up Josh MacDonal of Liberty for the first half of the race before they broke away. Grandinali placed fourth with a time of 30:44.91, pulling away from the fourth and fifth-place finishers.
Freshman Mason Lenox placed ninth in the 10,000-meter with a time of 31:24.52, just missing out on scoring as Coastal Carolina’s Evan Niciphor won the final sprint.
Scoring three points for the Panthers, sophomore Will Narramore placed sixth in the long jump with a career-best distance of 6.98 meters (22-11). The 6.98 came on his first attempt. He will also compete in the triple jump on Saturday.
Through five events of the decathlon, HPU freshman Eric Purnell ranked fifth in the event. He ran a time of 50.42 and was the top finisher in the 400-meter, which was the final event of the night. The decathlon resumes on Friday at 1:30 p.m.
The meet resumes on Friday at 10 a.m. with the men’s javelin. HPU junior Christian Spaulding is the top-ranked competitor in that event.