WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Anderson's men's distance medley team led the way for the Trojans at the South Atlantic Conference Indoor Championships, winning the race with a conference meet record-breaking time of 10:16. The squad consisted of freshman Sean McAdams (Greenville, S.C.), junior Ian Macurda (Charlotte, N.C.), sophomore Elliot Dotson (Greenville, S.C.) and freshman Noah Stump (Easley, S.C.).
"We battled hard over the course of the last two days in all events," said head coach Kevin Eagle. "You can always look back afterwards and see where we could have done better, but we have had a lot of things to be happy with."
The women's distance medley team (Elise Matthews, Joeli Hayden, Emma Whitaker, Kennedy Roush) recorded a 12:27 mark to also secure a first-place finish for the Trojans. Freshman Rylie Jenkins (Loranger, La.) won gold for the Black and Gold with a 3.50-meter pole vault score.
In the men's heptathlon competition, sophomore Tyler Farris (Jefferson, Ga.) cracked his own standing Anderson program record, finishing third with personal bests in four events for 4224 points, while sophomore Dylan Lego (Roebuck, S.C.) notched a SAC meet record, running a 2:43.37 1000-meter race to contribute to his 2893 heptathlon score.
"To go along with the meet records and school records, there are several personal bests that get lost in that mix," said Eagle. "Those are the ones that really mean the most because it means there is progress being made."
Both the track and field competitions saw several Trojans perform for personal bests in their respective events. Senior Emily Golden (Tifton, Ga.) cracked two of her personal records with a 10:16.63 mark to finish fifth in the women's 3000-meter and a time of 17:47.60 for a seventh-place 5000-meter result. Senior Daniel Similton (Indian Trail, N.C.) broke his personal record with a 8:28.50 3000-meter race, while freshman Jake Dentler (Traveler's Rest, S.C.) recorded a 15:16.09 5000-meter race, besting his personal record by nearly twenty seconds.
In the field, sophomore Lucas Pryor (Greer, S.C.) broke his pole vault record with a 4.36-meter mark, while sophomore Kristen Leonard (Hoover, Ala.) also recorded a pole vault personal best, landing a second-place finish with a 3.40-meter mark. Freshman Jordan Gross (Chester, Va.) notched two personal bests: 1.96-meter high jump and 13.44-meter triple jump. In the men's shot put, freshman Chase Brightharp (Trenton, S.C.) recorded a 12.20-meter personal best, followed by freshman Blake Cooke (Lexington, S.C.) with a 12.10-meter personal record. Senior Grayson Smith (Inman, S.C.) broke his personal record with a 11.75-meter weight throw mark. Freshman Maggie Long (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) recorded a best 5.09-meter long jump and freshman Cate Murawski (Mount Pleasant, Ill.) posted a best 9.38-meter triple jump.
"We will assess everything from the past two days and see where we can grow even more for the outdoor season," said Eagle.
The Trojans kick off outdoor season at the 49er Classic in Charlotte, N.C. on March 15.
