ResultsKNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The men's 4x800 meter relay team supplied the exclamation point to Lee University's three days at the 49
th Tennessee Relays Powered by Sea Ray. The event was held at Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium on the campus of the University of Tennessee.
The team of Emmanuel Kipchumba, Adam Gullette, Terris Elliott and Harold Smith gave Lee its fourth top 10 finish of the weekend to go along with six new NCCAA qualifiers and three more performances that improved upon previous qualifying marks.
SATURDAY (DAY THREE)Audrey Smith started the day with a new school record and an NCCAA qualifying time in the 3000 meter steeplechase. Smith knocked 26 seconds off her personal record with a time of 11:36.19, over one minute quicker than the NCCAA standard (12:40.00).
The men's 4x800 meter relay joined Smith in making Saturday a record-setting day by surpassing the Lee record by eight seconds. The team crossed the finish line at 7:37.69 to put them in second behind Virginia Tech (7:33.58) and ahead of third-place Arkansas Tech (7:40.94). Eastern Michigan was fourth with a mark of 7:45.31.
"Our men ran fantastic today," said Lee head coach Caleb Morgan. "We knew we had a shot at being toward the front. Beating Eastern Michigan and Arkansas State, who are great Division 1 programs, was big for our guys. They were a little nervous about the competition, but remained composed and got the job done. This was a team effort and everyone showed up and ran their best races all season."
The relay time stands as the top reported time in the NCCAA this season. The next fastest time is 7:53.07 by Cedarville University.
"Kipchumba opened up the team with a 1:52 first leg, getting us to the first exchange early. Gullette and Elliott put together two great middle legs that kept us in the race with both running 1:56. Smith took us from third up to second in the final leg with a time of 1:51.
As a result of recording a time under 7:40, the foursome qualified to compete in the Penn Relays in Philadelphia on April 23-25.
FRIDAY (DAY TWO)Emily Bryan and Nick Eckert met the qualifying standards in the 400 meter hurdles (1:11.00) and 1500 meter run (4:08.00), respectively. Bryan placed 33
rd with a time of 1:10.55, while Monica Allison was right behind at 34
th (1:12.99). Eckert recorded a time of 4:06.46 to finish 45
th and Alex Carter was 48
th with a mark of 4:15.47.
Adrian Martin placed fourth with a time of 24.36 in the 200 meter dash. Her time was 0.36 seconds quicker than her previous NCCAA-qualifying mark and gave her the best time in the NCCAA this season. Martin also finished 17
th in the 100 meter dash at a time of 12.07.
Jessica Childers and Kipchumba also lowered their qualifying times. Childers shaved 0.39 seconds off her time with a 4:40.42 (24
th) in the 1500 meter run. Kipchumba lowered his 800 meter qualifying time to 1:53.22 with an 11
th place finish. Joining Kipchumba in the 800 meter run were Smith (24
th, 1:55.28), Gullette (42
nd, 1:59.60) and Elliott (51
st, 2:14.29).
Moneque Beckford just missed qualifying for the 400 meter dash. Beckford finished 46
th with a time of 1:02.30, just 0.30 seconds over the NCCAA standard.
Brandon Harmon ran in both the 200 and 400 meter dashes. He placed 38
th (54.78) in the 200 meter and was 43
rd (23.81) in the 400 meter dash.
Rick Barry was 18
th in the 400 meter hurdles. His time of 57.03 eclipsed the NCCAA qualifying mark, but was shy of his season-best mark of 56.63.
Barry also competed in the long jump and placed 23
rd after recording a distance of 6.48 meters in his first attempt, before fouling in his final two attempts.
Brianna Prugh placed 36
th in the 800 meter run after crossing the finish line at 2:28.15.
THURSDAY (DAY ONE)Elizabeth Sillcocks was the first Lee athlete to hit the track. The sophomore placed sixth with a mark of 38:51.72, surpassing the NCCAA qualifying standard of 43:00.00. Ann Marie Arseneau of Western Michigan won the winner at 37:09.08.
Seth Eagleson and Joseph Crook continued Lee's success in the 10000 meter run. Eagleson placed seventh (32:02.29) and Crook was 16
th (33:49.82). The NCCAA standard for men is 34:15.00 and both runners qualified with room to spare. Logan Rogers of Trevecca Nazarene University placed first with a winning time of 31:13.30.
