By: Ester Sanches, Web Editor & Anayah Peterson, Managing Editor
Feb. 10 Champion College Team Challenge
Braves participated in the Champion College Team Challenge in Winston-Salem and notched six new personal-bests.
Redshirt freshman Jackline Kosgei ran for the mile event. Finishing with a time of 5 minutes, 34.86 seconds, a new personal record. Kosgei came in fifth place for the event.
Freshman Zion Blue placed eighth for the men’s 60 meter dash, hitting a new time personal best of 7.11.
Redshirt Freshman Bennie Oxendine hits new personal bests in the men’s weight throw. Oxendine placed in seventh with 14.47m and Cedric Douglas placed in ninth with 13.88m.
In the men’s High Jump, Michael Lipscomb placed in seventh with a new personal best of 1.79m.
Feb. 12 Roanoke Invitational Challenge
At the Roanoke Invitational Challenge in Virginia the Braves did exceptionally well. There were a handful of first place winners. The Braves men’s team scores rank three. The Braves women’s team scores rank fourth.
Redshirt Junior Quanterra Harrison ran the woman’s 60 meter hurdles and placed first in both the prelim (9.00m) and finals (8.87m).
Redshirt Juniors Raigan Evans placed in first place for the woman’s weight throw reaching 16.54m, a new personal best.
Jaela Thomas ran the woman’s 200m dash and hit a personal best of 25.93 that landed him third place.
Tayvon Callahan ran the men’s 60m hurdles, prelim and finals. In the prelim he placed in third place in 8.61 seconds. During the finals, Callahan ran the hurdles in 8.38 seconds and placed first.
Redshirt Junior Orlandus Gamble hit a new personal best in the men’s high jump. He jumped 2.10m, hitting a provisional qualifying mark in the NCAA. Lipscomb beat his personal best in the high jump from Feb. 10, hitting 1.80m.
Hunter Levy hit a new personal best in the 3000m run of 8:57.28 and placed in third. Blue hit a new personal best in the long jump reaching 6.56m which landed him third place.
Feb. 20 Conference Carolinas Championship
Redshirt Junior Joshua Chepkesir breaks a seven-year old record in the 5,000 Run with a set time of 14:17.89, breaking Ahmad Nesbitt of North Greenville’s meet record set in 2015.
Gamble bested the High Jump field to claim the first two event titles for UNCP at the opening day of the Conference Carolinas Championship.
The Distance Medley Relay team of Freshman Lucas Nervo, Redshirt Sophomore Wyatt Kuhnemann, Redshirt Sophomore Delsin Burkhart and Redshirt Freshman Jack Phieffer placed on the podium with a second place finish. Their set time was 10.31.48.
Evans and Redshirt Junior Lillian Marino each earned all-conference honors in the Weight Throw with second and thrice place. Redshirt Junior Dy’Air McCormick placed first in the 60 Dash and Harrison 60 Hurdles also placed first in her event.
They will compete in the finals the next day for the Braves.
The men’s team finished in second place behind Mount Olive. The women’s team
finished in third place.
Feb. 21 Conference Carolinas Championship
Freshman Cole Thomas, Chepkesir and Harrison all picked up event titles for UNCP’s track and field team for the men. They finished as a runner-up. The women’s track and field team finished third on the final day of the conference at the JDL Fast Rack.
Thomas cleared 4.58m in the men’s Pole Vault event with a new personal best and a first place finish. Chepkesir earned his second event title. The 4×400 Relay team of Freshman Ervin Almanzar, Redshirt Junior Chris Spellman, Redshirt Sophomore Walker Mabe and Freshman DaMarr Harvey earned a spot on the podium with a time of 3:24.52 for second place.
For the women, Harrison finished the 60m Hurdles and earned all-conference honors and a championship title with a set time of 8.74. Jalea Thomas is a runner up finish in the 200m Dash. However, McCormick, Carolina Flax and Marino all earned all-conference honors in their events with third place.
Chepkesir was named as Conference Carolinas Men’s Track Athlete of the Year at the end of the meet. The Braves can boast with their total of 17 all-conference honors throughout the two day meet.
Mount Olive claimed the championship entirely, but the Braves’ men finished 37 points behind them. The Braves’ women finished one point behind runner-up Southern Wesleyan.
