• The HPU distance medley relay team at the PSU National set a new school record with a time of 10:03.27 to finish second in the event.
• Senior Chris Colo set a PR in the 5000m run at PSU (14:58.01) while posting the best mark in the conference this season by more than a minute
• Junior Austin Miller placed fourth in the pole vault at PSU with a mark of 4.96m (16-3.25)
Behind a school-record time from a talented distance medley relay unit, the High Point University men’s track & field team put together a solid first day of action at a pair of meets in University Park, Pa., and Winston-Salem, N.C.
Penn State National Invitational
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – High Point’s distance medley relay team made history on day one of the PSU National Invitational, placing second in the event with a blistering time of 10:03.27. The outstanding team was composed of freshman Ryan Udvadia and juniors Nick Hula, Paul O’Donoghue and Benji Szalai.
The time shattered the previous HPU DMR record by close to three seconds and, in the process, set the top mark in the Big South Conference this season. The time marks the eighth-fastest DMR time run in the history of the Big South.
In distance action, senior Chris Colo performed exceptionally with a third-place finish in the 5000m run. His time of 14:58.01 was a personal best and marks the fastest time in the Big South this season by more than a minute.
Reigning Big South Indoor Field Athlete of the Week Austin Miller put together another solid effort in the vault Friday in Happy Valley, as the junior placed fourth amongst a strong field with a mark of 4.96m (16-3.25). Miller set a new school record last weekend with a mark of 5.05m (16-6.75).
Junior Harris Coley placed eighth in the vault with an indoor PR of 4.51m (14-9.50). Freshman Todd Uckermark placed 10th after posting a vault of 4.51m (14-9.50) as well.
“Our distance runners at Penn State generated the highlights of the day, hands down,” associate head coach Eric Dudley said. “Our men’s DMR team battled back and forth with St. Joseph’s throughout the race. Both teams ended up setting school records for their respective programs, with our guys eclipsing the record set last year. Ryan Udvadia was particularly impressive with his finishing sprint on the lead off-leg. In the pole vault Austin and Harris both set themselves up to take jumps at PR bars, but neither was successful.”
Redshirt-senior Tristan Faure sits in a solid second place through four events at PSU in the men’s hepatahtlon (1955 points). Faure finished second in the long jump portion of the event (6.40m, 21-0) while placing third in the shot put (11.19m, 36-8.5) and high jump (1.86m, 6-1.25). The final three events will take place on Saturday.
On the sprints circuit, freshman James House finished second in his 60m dash heat with a time of 7.04 seconds to qualify for the semifinals of the event. House finished 14th in the semifinals (7.01).
In jumps action, junior Will Narramore finished 15th in the long jump with a mark of 6.64m (21-9.50).
JDL Hilton Garden Innvitational
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Panthers compiled a solid group of finishes on day one of the Hilton Garden Innvitational on Friday.
A pair of HPU’s strong performances came in the pole vault. Sophomore Jose San Miguel finished fifth out of 23 competitors with a season-best mark of 4.25m (13-11.25), while fellow sophomore Isaiah Henderson tied for seventh with an indoor PR of 4.10m.
Senior Christian Spaulding placed 15th in the weight throw with a mark of 14.98m (49-1.75) and junior Jim Wilson finished 30th in the event with a throw of 13.04m (42-9.50).
In distance action, sophomore Chernet Sisay put together a strong race to place 13th out of 34 competitors in the event. The Brookline, Mass., native crossed the finish line in 15:35.24. Junior Cody Seymour was 19th in a time of 16:00.45. Redshirt-senior John Yankello finished 47th in the 5000m run with a career-best time of 9:03.22.
Sophomore Eric Purnell placed 57th out of 95 competitors in the 60m dash with a time of 7.25 seconds.
Purnell also placed 30th out of 49 competitors in the long jump (6.20m, 20-4.25) while junior Adam Devito finished 21st with season-high mark of 6.48m (21-3.25).
“Every journey has a beginning, middle and end,” Dudley said. “The beginning and end are pretty well defined, but there are a lot of ways to connect the two. Much of our team is experiencing that typical mid-season variability. We really need to zero in on our target, the Big South Championships, soon.”
HPU wraps up the PSU National and Hilton Garden Innvitational on Saturday.