Results (PDF)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - With Saturday's Vanderbilt Indoor Opener in the books, the 2016-17 indoor track and field season is officially underway for the WKU Hilltoppers. Head coach Erik Jenkins and company made the quick trip south to Nashville and returned to The Hill with four event titles and a meet record. The competition was held at the Multipurpose Facility on Vanderbilt's campus.
Ventavius Sears led the way for the Hilltoppers, claiming a pair of the titles on his own. Sears' first victory came in the 400-meter race when he turned in a time of 48.07. Sears won both his section and the event by just five-hundredths of a second. The junior's second title of the day came in the long jump pit where his second attempt claimed the title with a distance of 7.48 meters.
Claiming the third title on the men's side was Julius Morris, who repeated as the Vanderbilt Indoor Opener 60-meter champion with a mark of 6.84 seconds. Emmanuel Dasor was just behind his fellow Hilltopper to take second place in the event with a reading of 6.87 seconds. Both athletes ran in the fourth section and were just two of the four competitors with sub-7.0 second times.
On the Lady Toppers' side, Jenessa Jackson secured the weight throw title with a heave of 19.40 meters, a new personal best for the senior. The mark also surpassed the meet's previous record by nearly two meters. Additionally, Jackson claimed runner-up status in the shotput ring, tossing for a distance of 14.36 meters on her final attempt.
WKU saw five Lady Toppers finish in the top 10 of the 400-meter competition, including Ariel Terrell (second, 56.52), Peli Alzola (fifth, 57.54), Kaila Smith (seventh, 57.69), Khadijah Valentine (eighth, 57.72) and Jadzia Beasley (10th, 58.45).
Sandra Akachukwa finished with runner-up honors in high jump, clearing a height of 1.65 meters on her third and final attempt.
WKU track and field will continue its indoor campaign in the new year as the team heads into Big Ten country in West Lafayette, Indiana, for the Purdue Invite on Jan. 7.
EVENT TITLES
Men
60 meter - Julius Morris - 6.84 seconds
400 meter - Ventavius Sears - 48.07 seconds
Long jump - Ventavius Sears - 7.48m / 24' 6 1/2" - 2nd jump
Women
Weight throw - Jenessa Jackson - 19.40m / 63' 8"
