The App State track and field team saw the men finish fifth and the women finish eighth at the Sun Belt championships in Harrisonburg, Virginia from Thursday to Saturday.
Senior Emma Russum and junior Ethan Lipham each earned gold in the 3000-meter steeplechase, with Russum for the women at 10:36.27 and Lipham for the men at 8:58.49. Freshman Thomas Wlazlowski took third in the men’s race with a personal best time of 9:03.65.
Lipham also finished first in the men’s 1500 meter to defend his Sun Belt title with a time of 3:50.83, while Russum finished second in the women’s 5000 meter, stopping the clock at 16:53.59.
The Mountaineers had a strong showing in the pole vault. Sophomore Matthew Gray finished second with a jump of 5.38 meters, and freshman Lilly Nichols also earned silver with a clearance of 4.11 meters, a personal best for her and a program best for both athletes.
In the men’s 10,000 meter, graduate student Ethan Turner secured second place, finishing the race with a time of 30:07.94.
The last of the podium finishes was in the men’s 4×100-meter relay, with freshman Brandon Parker, sophomore Armonté Ferguson, freshman Jonathan Wilson and junior Ray Lee combining to finish third, crossing the line at 40.01.
App State will host the Sunday Night Qualifier on May 18 at the Randy Marion Track & Field Facility.