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RESULTS

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – In the first competition of the indoor season, the Lee University track teams tallied 14 qualifiers for the NCCAA Nationals. Fifty-two schools participated in the ETSU Track & Field Invitational inside the ETSU/MSHA Athletics Center on David E. Walker Track at Gentry Field. Previously known as the Niswonger Invitational, the event is hosted annually by East Tennessee State University.

The Lady Flames met qualifying marks in five events, while the Flames were successful in four. The two squads combined for three Top 10 finishes. Camden Perez placed seventh in the 5000 meter run, Harold Smith was eighth in the 1 mile run and Jessica Childers finished ninth in the 1 mile run.

Perez recorded a time of 15:27.56, which was nearly one minute below the NCCAA-qualifying mark of 16:20, in the invitational 5000 meter race. Whitner Chase of Davidson was the winner at 14:56.53.

"Camden worked very hard over winter break after having a difficult cross country season and I'm glad to see him back as one of our top distance runners," said Lee head coach Caleb Morgan.

Seth Eagleson and Joseph Crook joined Perez in qualifying at the 5000 meter distance. Eagleson placed 11^th with a mark of 15:35.99 and Crook was 15^th (15:40.70). Matt Jenkins was 21^st with a non-qualifying mark of 16:31.80.

Smith was placed in the invitational race of the 1 mile run and the freshman set a personal best (4:27.25), six seconds faster than the NCCAA mark. Michael Cornwell of Western Carolina won the race with at time of 4:20.07.

Childers ran her race against mostly NCAA Division I talent and finished just nine seconds behind Davidson's Olivia Menden. Childers needed a 5:32 to qualify for the NCCAAs and delivered a 5:18.73.

"Childers ran her fastest indoor mile ever and stayed in contention for much of the race," added Morgan. "With a little more confidence she will have a shot at winning most meets we attend."

Adrian Martin and Moneque Beckford each qualified in two events. Martin's time of 8.06 in the 60 meter dash put her 0.23 seconds under the standard and set a Lee record. Beckford joined Martin in the 200 meter dash and they both finished under the mark of 27.55 with Beckford setting a school record at 26.46 and Martin crossing at 26.61. Beckford beat the mark (1:03) in the 400 meter dash by three seconds with a time of 59.84.

Elizabeth Sillcocks was the final Lady Flame to qualify for the NCCAA Nationals. Sillcocks eclipsed the mark set in the 5000 meter run by over one minute with a time of 19:09.37.

Emmanuel Kipchumba and Adam Gullette raced in the seeded 800 meter run and came away with times that met the NCCAA qualifying mark of 2:01. Kipchumba was 17^th with a time of 1:58.64, while Gullette posted a time of 1:59.69 (21^st).

In the only non-track event for Lee, Rick Barry and Hunter Goforth surpassed the distance needed (6.15 meters) in the long jump. Barry placed 12^th with a jump of 6.55 meters and Goforth measured 6.41 meters.

"Rick and Hunter put together some great jumps in the long jump. With the rain and cold, we haven't been in the pit at all. They can both do much better with some practice and we look for them to do so next week," said Morgan.

The Flames had a couple near-misses in the sprint events. The qualifying mark for the 60 meter dash is 7.24 and Javon Jones recorded a 7.25. At first look, Barry qualified for the 200 meter dash with a time of 23.22, but after adjusting for track size his time fell just outside the required 23.50.

Monica Allison and Alexis Qumsieh also participated in the 400 meter dash. Allison finished in 1:06.23 and Qumsieh recorded a time of 1:13.40.

Lauren Hart posted a time of 20:47.61 in the 5000 meter run. Audrey Smith finished 14^th in the unseeded 1 mile run with a time of 5:43.78.

Emily Bryan and Brianna Prugh ran in the 800 meter unseeded run. Bryan was 13^th (2:29.50) and Prugh finished 23^rd (2:32.03).

Justin Knuth, Alex Carter and Nick Eckert competed in the unseeded 1 mile run. Knuth finished with a time of 4:40.19. Carter recorded a time of 4:48.45 and Eckert was right behind at 4:49.82.

The Lady Flames and Flames travel to Birmingham, Ala., on Sunday to participate in the Emory Crossplex Invitational. The event will be held in the Birmingham Crossplex.