Results - Mt. SAC Relays
WALNUT, Calif. -- The Hilltoppers' 4x400-meter relay turned in the fifth-fastest time in the NCAA this season with its 3:05.95 showing at the 57th Annual Mt. SAC Relays to highlight a split-squad weekend for the WKU men's and women's track and field teams.
WKU took a handful of sprinters and hurdlers to the Mt. SAC Relays, which is considered one of the nation's most elite regular-season meets, hosted at Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut, Calif. The Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers sent the rest of their squads to Clarksville, Tenn. to compete in the Austin Peay Invitational, where the programs combined to win six individual events with a number of personal-record performances.
The story of the day was the 4x400 relay consisting of junior Ja'Karyus Redwine, freshman Grant Swinton along with sophomores Emmanuel Dasor and Ventavius Sears. The quartet finished third in the elite field and second amongst collegiate competitors, trailing only Utah State. The 3:05.95 clocking is the fastest in Conference USA this season, the fourth-fastest in WKU history and trails only Texas A&M, Florida, LSU and Utah State's relay times nationally in 2015. Dasor and Sears were members of WKU's 2014 4x400-meter relay that finished fourth at the NCAA Championships.
Dasor also shined individually as he finished third in the 200-meter dash with a season-best time of 20.79 seconds while Sears followed in eighth-place at 21.01 seconds. Dasor's 200-meter clocking ranks 11th nationally while Sears' time is tied for 28th nationally.
Senior jumper Cyrus Johnson hit 50-feet-1.75 inches (15.28m) in the triple jump for his best leap of the outdoor season. Johnson's jump was good for eighth-place honors and was the third longest in C-USA this season.
Chioma Aguwunobi posted two personal records for the Lady Toppers in California. Agwunobi clocked in at 11.89 seconds for a personal-best 100-meter dash time and 23.85 seconds for her career-best 200-meter race. Her 200-meter dash time ranks third in Conference USA this season and was good for 15th at the meet. Teammate Carrol Hardy ran a sub-11.70 race in the 100-meter dash for the third-straight week as she checked in at 11.68 seconds to place 18th in the elite field.
Sophomore hurdler Kaila Smith was impressive in the 100-meter hurdles as she finished 14th at the Mt. SAC Relays in 1:00.90. Smith's race was the third-fastest in WKU history and the fourth-fastest in Conference USA this season.
Wins came in bunches for WKU at Austin Peay as seniors Travis Gerding, Jodi Miller, Lemanuel Mosley and Cedric Stadom all picked up victories in their respective events. Freshman pole vaulters Ria Mollers and Dylan Cornwell also walked away with their first-career wins.
Cornwell recorded the highest pole vault by a Hilltopper since 1976 when he cleared 15-feet-5.75 (4.72m) to win his first-career event. His vault ranks third in WKU history and sixth in Conference USA this season.
Gerding won the shot put with a personal-record toss of 57-feet-8.5 inches (17.59m) and rookie teammate Nick Demaline was runner-up at 56-feet-2 inches (17.12m). Stadom continued the impressive meet for the Hilltopper throwers by winning the discus with a season-best toss of 161-feet-11 inches (49.37m).
Mosley won his first event as a Hilltopper by pacing the 400-meter field in 48.16 seconds and also placed third in the 200-meter dash at 22.74 seconds.
Miller won her first-career event in a Lady Topper uniform with a career-best mile run of 4:38.90. Mollers, who set the Lady Topper pole vault record with teammate Karleigh Parker last week, also earned his first-career win with a pole vault of 13-feet-1.5 inches (4.0m).
Sophomore thrower Jenessa Jackson established a new personal record in the hammer throw with a third-place toss of 163-feet-5 inches (49.81m) while Parker captured second in the javelin throw with a career-best toss of 141-feet-8 inches (43.18m). Parker's javelin throw ranks second in Lady Topper history.
Both teams return to action next weekend as they head to Philadelphia to compete in the Penn Ralys, which like the Mt. SAC Relays and Florida Relays, is considered to be one of the nation's most elite regular-season meets.
