ANDERSON, S.C. - After opening the season with several impressive performances at UNC's Joe Hilton Open two weeks ago, the Anderson University track and field teams visit another Atlantic Coast Conference venue this weekend, as the Trojans visit Clemson on Friday and Saturday for the Bob Pollock Invitational.
The Trojans will be in familiar territory this weekend, as AU has competed at least twice at Clemson each season for the last four years. More than 20 schools competed in the two-day event last season, with AU's Jill Baxter earning seventh in the opening day's pentathlon event, while Devan Fisher claimed fourth in the one mile run.
Mia Swierzs placed 12th in the 3000 meter run and Bari Robinson garnered 22nd in the 800 meter run. Savanna Keese finished 18th in the weight throw a year ago, with Morris capturing 21st. Olivia Gardner captured ninth in the seeded 3,000 meter run, while Sydney Hazel finished 16th in the seeded one mile run. D'Yandra Morris garnered 20th in the shot put, while the combination of Gardner, Sydney Hazel, Robinson and Sherin Malone finished fourth in the distance medley.
On the men's side, Jesse Patrick claimed sixth in the mile run, while Ned Kennedy brought home eighth place. Michael Burch placed second in the 3,000 meter run, with Jonathan Shorter finishing 30th. The 800 meter run saw sophomore Joshua Visi-Clark notch a 29th-place finish and Ben Boerma earned third in the men's seeded 3,000 meter run.
Keese captured second in the weight throw two weeks ago in Chapel Hill, with Morris taking sixth in the weight throw and third in the shot put. Hazel paced three Trojans in the 800 meter run, with freshman Alex Dixon and Robinson finishing third and fourth, respectively.
Malone placed third in the 60 meter hurdles, with Gardner taking third in the mile run. The freshman duo of Taylor Morris and Haylee Love placed fourth and fifth, respectively. The sophomore trio of Grace Gerlock, Mia Swiersz and Amber Worthy, along with freshman Allison Halperin claimed the fourth through seventh slots in the 3000 meter run.
Malone, Dixon, Robinson and Hazel combined to finish fourth in the 4x400 meter relay, while Love, Morris, Gardner and freshman Ali Caldwell claimed fifth place.
Boerma took the top spot in the 3000 meter at UNC, with Kennedy finishing fifth and Burch placing eighth. Freshman Anthony Aleruchi finished fourth in the weight throw and was fifth in the shot put. The men's one mile run saw freshman Mason Hazel take second place and Patrick earn the eighth spot.
Freshman Christopher Burton finished fifth in the 200 meter
dash, while teammates Joseph Siegwald and T.J. Robinson placed 14th
and 16th, respectively. Shorter finished sixth in the 60 meter
hurdles with Visi-Clark claiming fifth place in the 800 meter run.
Freshman Caleb Stephenson led three Trojans in the 400 meter dash,
while freshman Rashod Monts and sophomore Eric Hoover finished 12th
and 13th, respectively.
The combination of Monts, Burton, Visi-Clark and Stephenson
captured fourth in the 4x400 relay in a time of 3:37.13, with
Shorter, Siegwald, Patrick and Hoover finishing in sixth place in a
time of 3:48.40.
Friday's running events will get underway at 9:30 a.m., with the
field events beginning at 10:15 at the Tigers' Indoor
Complex.
