LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Seven individuals won their respective events for the WKU men's and women's track and field teams Saturday at the Bellarmine Invitational while the men's 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays shined at the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa.
The Hilltoppers' 4x400-relay consisting of Ventavius Sears, Emmanuel Dasor, Grant Swinton and Lemanuel Mosley led WKU to a fifth-place showing in the Championship of America Invitational heat at the Penn Relays with a clocking of 3:08.36. WKU was one of nine teams to qualify for finals out of 67 total competitors in the elite field. Sears split 46.6 seconds as the lead leg and Dasor split 46.5 seconds as the second leg for the Tops as LSU, Texas A&M, Clemson and St. Augustine's were the lone programs to race faster than WKU.
Swinton, Sears, Dasor and junior Ja'Karyus Redwine were also impressive in the 4x100-meter relay Friday at the Penn Relays as they finished 14th out of 78 relays with a time of 41.42 seconds.
In Louisville, three Hilltoppers emerged victorious while four Lady Toppers picked up wins at the Bellarmine Invitational.
Senior thrower Travis Gerding set a WKU hammer throw record with a toss of 198-feet-4 inches (60.45m), which was the best mark of collegiate competitors in the field and third overall. Gerding's toss broke Brian Soverns 2010 record of 193-feet-11 inches and is the second longest hammer throw in Conference USA this season.
Rookie hurdler Jonathan Hayden equaled a career-best time in the 110-meter high hurdles and bested the field with a time of 14.55 seconds for his first-career win. Sophomore Peter Agaba won his second-straight 3,000-meter steeplechase race with a clocking of 9:39.70 while junior teammate Aaron Stevens was runner-up at 9:50.81.
Senior jumper Cyrus Johnson earned his fifth-career high jump win by clearing the bar at 6-feet-7.5 inches (2.20m).
Lady Topper sprinters Chioma Agwunobi and Carrol Hardy had good days on the track in Louisville as they both picked up wins. Agwunobi won the 100-meter dash in 12.01 seconds while Hardy captured top honors in the 200-meter dash with a winning time of 24.58 seconds. Hardy was also third in the 100-meter race at 12.26 seconds.
Karleigh Parker won the pole vault for the 12th time in her career by clearing the bar at 12-feet-5.25 inches (3.79m) and sophomore thrower Jenessa Jackson took home first place in the shot put for the second time in her career with a heave of 45-feet-6.25 inches (13.87m).
Both squads will compete in Lexington next weekend at the Kentucky Relays in their final preparations for the C-USA Outdoor Championships, which will be hosted by UTEP May 14-17.
