BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – With five of 17 events scored, the Lee University men's track & field team holds first place after the first day of action at the 2024 Gulf South Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships. The two-day event is being held at the Birmingham CrossPlex.

The Flames have amassed 63.5 points and hold a 17.5 point advantage over second place Mississippi College (46). Alabama Huntsville is in third with 41.5 points, Montevallo is fourth (25), Christian Brothers fifth (13) and West Georgia sits in sixth (3).

Lee claimed two event championships on the opening day. Camden Williams was the individual champion in the shot put where he posted a mark of 15.95 meters. Steven Conrad of Christian Brothers was second with a throw of 14.74 meters. Ian Trill placed seventh with a throw of 13.14 meters to add two more points to the Lee total. Matthew Black was 18^th with a throw of 11.25 meters and Brody Morgan placed 20^th with a toss of 11.16 meters.

The distance medley relay team of Ryan Lovelace, Niquaine Henry, Titus Lagat and Jacob Hatcher finished the day with a combined time of 9:58.60 to win by almost three seconds. Mississippi College crossed in second place at 10:01.38.

Cameron Stine and Caleb Long are each in the top five following the completion of four of the seven events of the heptathlon. Stine leads with a score of 2,693 points. Long is in fifth with 2,376 points. Stine was fourth in the 60-meter dash, third in the long jump, third in the shot put and first in the high jump, while Long was 10^th in the 60, fifth in the long jump, second in the shot put and ninth in the high jump. The 60-meter hurdles, pole vault and 1000-meter run are remaining.

The Flames put all five of their runners in the top eight of the 5000-meter run. Jon Fielding Stogner placed third at 14:18.94 and Aaron Himes was fourth (14:26.10). Matthew Fowler (14:28.52) finished sixth, Ezekiel Harless (14:42.35) came in seventh and Luke Gaddis (14:42.51) was eighth.

Lee made up half of the top eight of the pole vault. Eli Brooks cleared 4.45 meters for third place. Stine finished fourth with a vault of 4.15 meters and Cale Kassen was fifth at 4.00 meters. Long tied for seventh with a clearance of 3.85 meters.

Kassen added a second-place finish in the long jump with a leap of 7.24 meters. Caleb Kariuki of Montevallo was first at 7.34 meters. Myles Mann covered 6.32 meters to finish 10^th. Timothy Doolittle placed 13^th with a jump of 6.25 meters and Long recorded a mark of 6.17 meters for 14^th.

Doniven Jackson and Kassen advanced out of the prelims of the 60-meter dash. Jackson posted the second-fastest time of the day at 6.82 seconds and Kassen claimed the final spot in Friday's final with a time of 6.98 seconds. Luke Blanchard (7.04) and Nokia Masengu (7.09) were 13^th and 14^th, respectively.

Kassen moved on to the 60-meter hurdles final with a top time of 7.83 seconds in the prelims. Stine stopped the clock at 8.54 seconds to qualify in fourth place. Long failed to qualify for the final with an 11^th place time of 9.41 seconds.

Jackson (21.67) was one of four Lee runners to qualify for the final of the 200-meter dash. Justin Steele (21.96) was fourth, Aiden Shaw finished fifth (21.99) and Masengu rounded out Lee's finalists at sixth (22.13). Blanchard finished 14^th (22.91).