Mens Report
• Senior Christian Spaulding finished sixth in the shot put with a mark of 15.31m (50-2.75)
• Junior Andrew Kuras posted an indoor PR in the 200m in 22.73
• HPU will remain in Johnson City for day two of the ETSU Invite on Saturday
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Led by strong performance from senior Christian Spaulding, the High Point University men’s track & field finished up day one of competition at the ETSU Buccaneer Invitational Friday at the MSHA Athletic Center.
Spaulding led the way for HPU on day one with a solid sixth-place finish in the weight throw. The Middletown, N.J., native posted his second best throw of the season with a mark of 15.31m (50-2.75).
In sprints action, junior Andrew Kuras earned a 29th-place finish in 7.16. Junior Nick Hula placed 36th in the 400m dash in 51.50 seconds and junior Dennis Crawford finished 70th in 53.49. Kuras finished 32nd in the 200m dash (22.73 seconds) while Hula was 82nd in 23.74.
Through four events in the heptathlon, sophomore Eric Purnell is 10th with 2,494 points while freshman Matt Hollis is 13th with 2,163 points. Purnell placed t-3rd in the 60m dash to post his best finish through the first four events.
In jumps action, junior Will Narramore posted a mark of 13.30m (43-7.75) to finish 11th.
“Today we didn’t reach outstanding levels, but we did have some strong performances,” associate head coach Eric Dudley. “Christian had a good day in the weight throw, showing improved poise and mastery of that event. One of the reasons we seek out oversized indoor tracks is so that our 200 and 400m runners can run fast on the wider turns. Andrew Kuras capitalized on that, running an indoor best in the 200. Nick Hula, who spent all fall training in sub-optimal conditions while studying abroad in Argentina showed why he is Mr. Dependable and our go-to guy on relays by posting the team’s top time of the season in the 400.”
HPU wraps up competition in the Buccaneer Invitational on Saturday.
Womens Report
• Junior Alyssa Palenchar finished third in the vault with a mark of 3.65m (11-11.75)
• Senior Krista Willard placed third in the 5000m run in a time of 18:20.88
• Junior Jamie Schnuck was 10th in the weight throw (15.10m, 49-6.50)
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The High Point University women’s track & field team put forth a number of solid times and marks on day one of the ETSU Buccaneer Invitational Friday at the MSHA Athletic Center.
Two Panthers posted top-3 finishes to lead the HPU contingent on the opening day of competition.
Junior Alyssa Palenchar paced the Panthers with a third-place finish in the pole vault, posting a mark of 3.65m (11-11.75) to just miss her school record of 3.70m. Fellow junior Jill Marois finished fifth with a mark of 3.50m (11-5.75) and senior Catelyn Griffin placed 10th with a vault of 3.35m (10-11.75).
On the distance circuit, senior Krista Willard missed her PR by just two seconds en route to a third-place finish in the 5000m run (18:20.88). Sophomore Cozette Collin was 12th in 18:41.53 while junior Erika Peoples placed 21st in 19:16.52. Senior Lauren Blackwell finished 41st in 20:32.95.
Junior Jamie Schnuck posted a 10th-place finish in the weight throw with a mark of 15.10m (49-6.50). In jumps action, sophomore Alexis Fernandez placed 11th with a mark of 11.14m (36-6.75).
“Today we didn’t reach outstanding levels, but we did have some strong performances,” associate head coach Eric Dudley said. “Alyssa and Krista were top-3 in the vault and 5k events which are certainly strong points for our program right now. Krista’s time puts her third on the conference list, giving us the top-3 spots in the 5k. We’ll see if that holds up through the weekend. Jill improved her season best in the vault and Jamie has stabilized her performance over 15m in the weight. Lilla went sub-60 in the 400m. [Sara Katherine Kirkpatrick] had to battle her way through the pentathlon today. I think there is value in persevering through an ordeal like that, especially when you are struggling. It helps them grow as a competitor and in life.”
Sophomore Erika Bridges represented HPU in the 60m hurdles and finished 41st in a time of 11.41 seconds. In the 60m dash, sophomore Amanda Gregory placed 48th (8:20) while junior Emily De Lena (8.25) finished 54th. Freshman Kela Seals was 70th (8.62).
The Panthers entered four student-athletes in the 400m dash and were led by junior Lilla Lorand who posted a 22nd-place finish (59.99). Freshman Ashlynn Schiro was 37th in 1:01.07 while sophomore Jessica Wise (1:03.03) and freshman CeAnna Soper (1:03.30) finished 59th and 60th, respectively.
In the 200m dash, De Lena placed 71st in 27.27 seconds, while Gregory was 73rd in 27.32.
HPU wraps up competition in the Buccaneer Invitational on Saturday.