HPU TRACK: Panthers Open Multis On Day One of Liberty Kickoff

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

Reynolds Lead HPU Women In Pentathlon

LYNCHBURG, Va. – High Point University track and field got their first opportunity at multis this Friday, with the women’s side opening up the pentathlon at the Liberty Kickoff in Lynchburg. Junior Madison Reynolds scored a total of 3,206 points over her five events, finishing fifth overall and fourth among college-attached athletes.

The afternoon opened with the 60m hurdles, where all four of the Panthers’ participating athletes set new personal records. Freshman Lexi Crompton posted the top-HPU time in the event with her 9.25, coming in a tie for fifth across the field. She was followed closely by Reynolds (9.34) in eighth, who went on to record a 1.58m in the high jump, to tie her personal best and finish third.

Reynolds continued to rewrite her own personal record book as the evening continued, tossing an 8.51m in the shot put and clearing 5.04m in the long jump. Teammate Anika Weisbrod would shine brightest in the latter event however, registering the greatest college-mark of the day at 5.23m. Weisbrod’s 5.23m gives the junior a new personal record, along with an impressive 623 points in the pentathlon standings.

The Panther multi group would finally conclude Friday’s competition by participating in the 800m, where Reynolds and Weisbrod went second and sixth respectively. Reynolds would again set an indoor personal best at 2:33.33, while Weisbrod did the same at 2:36.38.

Reynolds would eventually take fifth overall in the heptathlon scoring a combined point total of 3,206. She would come within 60 points of tying the standing program record set by former teammate CeAnna Soper at last year’s Big South Championship, of which was also held at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex.

Only seven other women Panthers would be on competition on Friday, sending four to the pole vault and three to the 5000m. Clearing 3.95m, Nathalie Elliott would take home the top mark in the vault, however it would be an impressive performance from sophomore Jessica Keys that would steal the show. After already setting a personal best at 3.65, Keys went on to finish at 3.80m overall, crushing her previous PR by 30 centimeters.

Day one competition concluded with the 5000m, where distance runners Zoe Geis (17:54.38), Lindsey Ickes (18:12.63) and Julia Hellman (18:17.73) took home the top-three times of the event. The trio ran 1-2-3 from start to finish of the race, with Ickes competing in the first 5000m of her young indoor track career.

Top Performers
Pentathlon
5. Madison Reynolds (3,206) – PR
8. Anika Weisbrod (3,097) – PR

Pent 60m Hurdles
T5. Lexi Crompton (9.25) – PR
8. Madison Reynolds (9.34) – PR
10. Anika Weisbrod (9.38) – PR
14. Charlotte Morrow (10.41) – PR

Pent High Jump
3. Madison Reynolds (1.58m) – tied PR
T4. Charlotte Morrow (1.55m) – tied PR

Pent Shot Put
11. Madison Reynolds (8.51m) – PR
14. Charlotte Morrow (7.84m) – PR

Pent Long Jump
1. Anika Weisbrod (5.23) – PR

Pole Vault
1. Nathalie Elliott (3.95)
3. Jessica Keys (3.80) – PR


Panther Men Complete Day One Of Heptathlon

LYNCHBURG, Va. – High Point University track and field got their first opportunity at multis this Friday, with the men’s side participating in four heptathlon events over the course of the afternoon at the Liberty Kickoff in Lynchburg. After the first day of action the Panthers had three athletes standing in the top-five of the current heptathlon standings.

While the women began the pentathlon with the hurdles, the men’s squad was not short behind, opening things with the 60m dash. Junior Brad Kanney sprinted to a 7.31 finish to put himself in second, while teammate Pablo Romero was not far behind, tying his own personal record at 7.32.

Making their way to the sandpit, it was Romero’s opportunity to turn in the top-Panther performance, coming within a single centimeter of his personal best at 6.61m and a third-place finish in the event.

Romero would again come within a centimeter of his PR in the high jump after clearing 1.97m, but it would be sophomore Gabriel Stainback to provide the performance of the day with a 2.00m mark. His new indoor personal best came within three centimeters of tying a program record, and was the top mark of multi-athletes competing in the event.

The men’s day one heptathlon ended in the shot put, where Stainback again produced the top performance of the evening, tossing a PR of 12.52m. John Singleton (9.98m) and Brad Kanney (9.83m) each provided their own personal records, finishing in seventh and eighth respectively.

After four events it would be Romero leading the Panthers with 2,793 in second-place, while Stainback currently sits in third (2,721) and Kanney in fifth (2,398).

The HPU men competed in their first 4x800m of the season at Lynchburg as well, with the combination of Jake Dunn, Patrick Van Der Cruyssen, Siro Pina Cardona and Brendan McCabe finishing in 7:49.35.

Top Performers
Heptathlon (Through Four Events)
2. Pablo Romero (2,793)
3. Gabriel Stainback (2,721)
5. Brad Kanney (2,398)

Hept 60m
2. Brad Kanney (7.31)
3. Pablo Romero (7.32)

Hept Long Jump
3. Pablo Romero (6.61m)

Hept High Jump
1. Gabriel Stainback (2.00m) – Indoor PR
T2. Pablo Romero (1.97m)
7. Brad Kanney (1.67m) – Tied PR

Hept Shot Put
1. Gabriel Stainback (12.52m) – PR
7. John Singleton (9.98m) – PR
8. Brad Kanney (9.83m) – PR