HPU Track and Field Finish 2nd, 4th at Big South Outdoor Championships

*** Both men’s and women’s recaps included ***

HPU Women Finish Program-Best Second at Big South Outdoors

HIGH POINT, N.C. — The High Point University women’s track and field team placed second at the Big South Outdoor Championships, the team’s highest finish in program history, Friday (May 11) at Vert Stadium.

The Panthers finished in second place with 150.5 points, 30 more than they had ever recorded at the conference meet. Liberty was the team champion with 289 points. Charleston Southern was third with 100.5 points, followed by Campbell (100), Radford (60), UNC Asheville (50), Winthrop (37.5) and Gardner-Webb (28.5).

“That’s the first time we’ve been second and we broke our previous point record by 30 points,” HPU head coach Mike Esposito said. “I was extremely pleased with how our women competed this weekend and I’m blessed to get a chance to work with them.”

In the awards ceremony after the meet, freshman Famke Heinst was named the Women’s Track Performer of the Year. Junior Keaton Case was honored on the Big South All-Academic Team.

Heinst won her second title of the meet when she claimed the 1,500 meters in 4:34.25. Fellow freshman Caroline Baudinet placed fourth in 4:42.33. Heinst won the 3,000m steeplechase on Thursday night for her first title of the meet.

Heinst then won her third title, crossing the line first in the 5,000 meters in a school and meet record time of 16:51.45. Sophomore Zoe Geis finished fourth in 17:12.66 to complete a grueling track triple of the 10,000 meters, 3,000m steeplechase and 5,000 meters.

“Coach Tamer has done a great job with Famke and preparing her for the conference meet, which is about where you finish, not the time you finish in,” Esposito said. “She was so controlled and so poised; she is such a special talent. Zoe did a very unusual triple, running 18,000 meters over three events this meet and did outstanding in all of them.”

In the 800 meters, junior Keaton Case earned silver in 2:07.99, while Baudient and freshman Franzi Jakobs placed fifth (2:13.82) and eighth (2:23.36), respectively.

Freshman Nathalie Elliott earned silver in the pole vault after clearing a height of 3.92m (12-10.25). Fellow freshman Jessica Keys placed fifth with a PR of 3.62m (11-10.5), while sophomore Rachel Berndsen cleared a PR of 3.47m (11-4.5) to place seventh.

In the 400m hurdles, junior Emmy Geis earned bronze in a personal-best time of 1:01.09, while Jakobs finished seventh in 1:06.72.

Sophomore Ariel Wilbekin placed fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 11.52m (37-9.5).

Senior Makenzi Holmes-DiGiovine finished a tough triple, placing eighth in the hammer throw with a season-best throw of 48.34m (158-7).

The 4x100m relay of Emmy Geis, Berndsen, senior CeAnna Soper and sophomore Anika Weisbrod placed seventh in 50.65.

In the final event of the meet, the 4x400m relay team of Emmy Geis, Jakobs, Baudinet and Case placed sixth in 3:55.96.

“To put on a meet like this, there is a lot involved over the three days,” Esposito said. “I want to thank all the different offices of our athletic department who really pitched it to put on a great meet. It was a team effort and we received a ton of compliments. I really appreciate everyone’s hard work, especially my coaching staff, who is unbelievable.”


High Point Men Finish Fourth at Big South Outdoors

HIGH POINT, N.C. — The High Point University men’s track and field team placed fourth at the Big South Championships Friday (May 11) at Vert Stadium.

The Panthers finished with 103 points, behind champion Liberty (251.5), Campbell (159.5) and Charleston Southern (150), but ahead of Gardner-Webb (63), Winthrop (55) and UNC Asheville (33).

“I thought we had a really good meet on the men’s side,” HPU head coach Mike Esposito said. “We needed to be great to be in the top two or three, but we had some really good things happen. By in large I was very pleased.”

Senior James House ran a season best in the 100 meters of 10.59 to earn bronze.

“That was a great way for James to go out, he’s a class act,” Esposito said.

In a hotly contested 800 meters, freshman Siro Pina Cardona placed fourth in 1:51.65, but was only .21 behind the winner.

In the 1,500 meters, freshman Hocine Bouchrak placed fourth in a personal-best time of 3:47.99, while senior Alejandro Juan Torres was fifth in 3:48.63.

Sophomores Pablo Romero and John Singleton III tied for sixth in the high jump after clearing a height of 1.88m (6-2). Romero then went on to place fourth in the 400 meters in 48.73.

Romero took home bronze in the 110m hurdles in 14.98. Freshman Gabriel Stainback, a day after winning the decathlon, placed fourth in the hurdles in 14.99.

“We asked Pablo to do a lot of events instead of doing the decathlon and had some really good performances,” Esposito said.

In the hammer throw, junior Britton Mann placed eighth with a throw of 44.84m (147-1).

The 4x100m relay of House, freshman Levi Williams, sophomore Sam Thomas and junior Brad Kanney placed sixth in 41.90.

In the final event of the meet, the 4x400m relay of House, Romero, sophomore Jake Dunn and Pina Cardona finished fifth in 3:18.14.

In the post-meet awards ceremony, senior Alejandro Juan Torres was named to the Big South All-Academic Team.

“To put on a meet like this, there is a lot involved over the three days,” Esposito said. “I want to thank all the different offices of our athletic department who really pitched it to put on a great meet. It was a team effort and we received a ton of compliments. I really appreciate everyone’s hard work, especially my coaching staff, who is unbelievable.”