Williamsburg, VA - For the fourth consecutive year, the Southern Virginia University men's and women's track and field teams competed against top notch competition at the Colonial Relays, hosted by William & Mary.
The meet took place over three days, featured many of the nation's top Division lll athletes, and included many quality programs from the Division l and Division ll levels as well. By the end of competition, the Knights had shown out in several events, posting many USA South leading marks.
Day One
After not contesting any events on Thursday, the Knights started Friday with a bang in a couple of different events. In the women's hammer throw, Katrina Gardner launched her first and second attempts for a personal best of 39.99m (131' 2"), placing her alone atop the USA South rankings.
Heidi Barton followed suit with a record of her own, running a personal best and program record of 2:17.04 in the women's 800m. Amidst her torrid start to the outdoor season, Barton now owns program records in both mid-distance events, including the 1,500m.
On the men's side Nik Del Pontone and Isaac Armstrong delivered sub sixty second times in the 400H. Del Pontone' time of 57.64 was a personal best and top mark in the conference this season. The duo holds two of the top three spots in the USA South rankings.
In the javelin throw, Nolan Opp launched himself past another personal best and is now the all-time program leader in the event. His throw of 57.60m (188' 11.5") was good for fourth place to beat out several Division l competitors, while also keeping him in the mix with potential national qualifiers.
Kedryn Chandler and Elizabeth Dalebout rounded out the evening with quality performances in the men's and women's 10,000m. Chandler's personal best time of 32:29.79 helped him capture 12th place, while Dalebout nearly eclipsed her all-time best mark after finishing 8th in 39:58.76.
Day Two
On the last day of competition, the field events took center stage. But first, a men's quartet of Garrett Rogers, Kedryn Chandler, Joseph Hughes, and Dylan May delivered a superb time in the 6,000m relay, consisting of four legs of 1,500 meters. They combined for a time of 16:22.56 to place fifth, averaging a time of just over 4:05 per leg, which is right with the top five individual times in program history.
Isaac Armstrong and Ryan Pascual were excellent in the triple jump. Armstrong saved his best jump for last, soaring for 12.74m (41' 9.5") to nearly eclipse his own program record. Parker Arnold and McCormick Johnson finished with identical marks in the pole vault, vaulting 4.48m (14' 8.5") to remain on top of the USA South rankings.
Amongst plenty of great performances, the weekend belonged to freshman high jumper, Marin Simons. Coming off an individual conference title during the indoor season, Simons has progressed even further outdoors and demolished her personal best and the program record by clearing a height of 1.66m (5' 5.25").
She placed second in the meet, just behind a highly decorated University of Virginia athlete. Her clearance also surpassed a program record that stood for three years, ranks her first in the USA South and South Region, and tied for fourth in the country at the time of this release. A remarkable feat for the newcomer from Colorado.
Up Next
With only three weekends remaining before the USA South Outdoor Championships, the Knights have just three meets remaining on their regular season slate. Next week, they'll travel to the University of Lynchburg for the Dennis Craddock Coaches Classic on April 11-12.
For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightxctf on Instagram.
