HPU Men Place Third at Big South Indoor Champs
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—Freshman Pablo Romero Gonzalez’s heptathlon win highlighted the High Point University men’s track and field team’s second day of action at the Big South Indoor Championships Sunday. The Panthers finished third overall in the team standings Sunday (Feb. 26) at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Panthers finished with 92.5 points to place third, behind Liberty (205) and Campbell (170). Charleston Southern was fourth with 68 points, followed by Winthrop (52.5), Gardner-Webb (47) and UNC Asheville (26).
“I loved the effort and the energy of our kids,” HPU head coach Mike Esposito said. “I am very proud of both groups. Both sides exceeded the pre-meet seeding. Want to give a big shout out to my coaches, strength and conditioning staff and athletic training for getting our kids to the meet fit, healthy and ready to perform. We would certainly like to compete for the conference championship, but simply don’t have the depth to do so at this time.“
Freshman Pablo Romero Gonzalez won the heptathlon title with a PR score of 4,965 points, the second-best score in High Point history. Romero Gonzalez becomes HPU’s second heptathlon champion, joining Tristan Faure in 2015. Senior Pat Irwin scored 4,310 points for fifth and senior Drew Francoeur, competing in his first heptathlon, placed seventh with 3,583 points.
“While competitors were faltering around him, Pablo was solid and consistent,” Esposito said. “Pat has come a long way since his freshman year. Drew jumped into his first (and last) heptathlon ever aggressively and did so to help the team. He is now ready to get a javelin in his hand.”
Romero Gonzalez also finished seventh in the 60m hurdles in 8.60. Irwin finished in a tie for seventh in the high jump, clearing a height of 1.89m (6-2.5).
Junior James House earned all-conference honors in the 60 meters, placing second in 6.95, while sophomore Sean Banda was seventh in 7.12. House also finished fifth in the 200 meters in 22.74.
In the 5,000 meters, graduate student Paddy Grandinali finished fourth in 14:46.17, followed by senior Vinny Todaro in sixth in 15:15.97. In the mile, sophomore Alejandro Juan Torres crossed the line fifth in 4:14.45, while Todaro was right behind in sixth in 4:16.67.
Sophomore Britton Mann finished fifth in the weight throw with a mark of 14.57m (47-9.75). Mann was in ninth place, but moved up four places on his fourth attempt.
In the final event of the meet, the 4x400m relay time of freshmen Jake Dunn and Sam Thomas, Romero Gonzalez and sophomore Patrick Van Der Cruyssen placed fifth in 3:28.87.
In the post-meet ceremony, Todaro was named to the Big South All-Academic Team.
The Panthers will now turn their attention to the outdoor track and field team. HPU hosts the Bill Webb Combined Events March 16-17 and the Bob Davidson Spring Kick-Off March 17-18 at Vert Stadium.
HPU Women Finish Third at Big South Indoor Champs
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—Freshman Kanajzae Brown broke the school record and won gold in the 60 meters as the High Point University women’s track and field teams placed third overall at the Big South Indoor Championships Sunday (Feb. 26) at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Panthers finished in third place with 97.5 points, behind Liberty (207) and Campbell (174). Charleston Southern was fourth with 66 points, followed by Winthrop (43.5), Radford (36), Gardner-Webb (28) and UNC Asheville (12).
“I loved the effort and the energy of our kids,” HPU head coach Mike Esposito said. “I am very proud of both groups. Both sides exceeded the pre-meet seeding. Want to give a big shout out to my coaches, strength and conditioning staff and athletic training for getting our kids to the meet fit, healthy and ready to perform. We would certainly like to compete for the conference championship, but simply don’t have the depth to do so at this time.“
Freshman Kanajzae Brown broke the school record and won the 60 meters in a time of 7.60. She defeated Campbell’s Deonica Reid, by 0.001 to become High Point’s first Big South champion in the event.
“Kanajzae is a great teammate,” Esposito said. “She wasn’t able to run the 200m final due to an injury, but her future is very bright.”
In the 800 meters, sophomore Keaton Case had a strong final 200 meters to place second in a PR of 2:12.88. Senior Cozette Collin placed fifth in 2:16.89.
“Keaton put in an incredible effort and was a great example of competing with passion and grit,” Esposito said.
Senior Natalia Ocasio ran a great second half of the 5,000 meters to finish on the podium, placing third in 17:47.51. Freshman Zoe Geis was fifth in 17:53.86, while Collin was sixth in 17:59.66.
“I can’t say enough about Natalia, it was her fourth race of the weekend,” Esposito said. “I’m very excited to see what she can do this spring in the steeplechase. Zoe set a big PR and raced with a lot of poise for a freshman. Cozette was competing in her fifth race of the weekend and I’m very proud of her for really putting the team ahead of individual honors.
Collin also placed fourth in the mile in 5:13.43, while Ocasio was sixth in 5:15.26.
In the weight throw, sophomore Makenzi Holmes-DiGiovine was fifth with a heave of 16.87m (55-4.25) and senior Jamie Schnuck was eighth with a throw of 15.24m (50-0.25).
Freshman Ariel Wilbekin finished seventh in the triple jump with a leap of 11.31m (37-1.5).
In the final event of the meet, the 4x400m relay team of junior Ashlynn Schiro, Case, sophomore Emmy Geis and junior CeAnna Soper finished fifth in 3:59.55.
In the post-meet awards ceremony, Schnuck was named to the Big South All-Academic Team.
The Panthers will now turn their attention to the outdoor track and field team. HPU hosts the Bill Webb Combined Events March 16-17 and the Bob Davidson Spring Kick-Off March 17-18 at Vert Stadium.