Lynchburg, VA - The Southern Virginia University men's and women's track and field teams dropped several jaw dropping performances this weekend at the Dennis Craddock Coaches Classic, hosted by the University of Lynchburg.

The two day event has become one of the most competitive meets in the region, with many of the best Division lll programs in attendance mixed with several teams from the Division l and Division ll ranks. The Knights finished the weekend with five program records and three events wins. 

Day One

In case it wasn't enough, Parker Arnold added another tally to the win column for Southern Virginia pole vaulters. Arnold and his vault of 4.35m (14' 3.25") claimed first place in the men's event while McCormick Johnson joined him on the podium with a third place finish.

On the track, Garrett Rogers continued his rise to regional prominence with a win in his section of the men's 5,000m, clocking in at a massive personal best of 15:34.98. On the women's side, Heidi Barton ran in the women's elite mile and finished in an impressive 5:08.29. Joseph Hughes also ran well in the men's event, obtaining a personal best of 4:19.29.

In the Invitational sections of the 5,000m, Elizabeth Dalebout and Dylan May were superb throughout the longer distance. Dalebout clocked in at 18:45.36, a personal best and the third fastest in program history. 

Dylan May led the men's race from the gun and his confidence never wavered. May's solo effort could've turned into a victory lap over the final 400 thanks to a huge lead, but he kept the pedal down all the way to the line to finish in record-breaking fashion. His finishing time of 14:27.19 is the fastest in program history.

Day Two

To open the final day of events, the women's 4x100m relay team of Maia Hunt, Folole Torres, Elise Curtis, and Shandrey Allman delivered their second best time of the season in 50.54 seconds.

One of the best performances of the entire weekend came from Heidi Barton in the 800m who was doubling back from the mile on Friday. Barton's blistering final lap helped her secure fourth place and eclipse her own program record in a time of 2:15.93. Not to be outdone, Joseph Hughes completed a heist of the program record in the men's 800m, previously held by his brother, Ethan, with a time of 1:56.14.

Moving to the field events, Marin Simons, Jilane Pedersen, Elise Curtis, and Elyssa Holman all finished within the top ten in the women's high jump. Simon's clearance of 1.60m (5' 3") placed her second, narrowly beaten out by an athlete from Liberty.

Damarion Bonds' performance in the men's triple jump put an exclamation point on the weekend. Bonds went for 13.21 meters (43' 4.25") on his second attempt in the final, sailing past the former program record set two seasons ago.

Up Next

With just one weekend remaining before the USA South Outdoor Championships, the Knights have two meets scheduled. They'll go split squad at the WildCat Invitational, hosted by Randolph College, and the Captains Classic at Christopher Newport on April 18-19.

For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightxctf on Instagram.