BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In a rare Monday meet, Clayton State men's indoor track & field showed they were good to go on any day as they surpassed three previous meet records and delivered a number of impressive performances at the Southern Indoor Challenge on Monday, February 11.
 
Headlining those performances was the 4x400-meter relay of junior Chris Florence (Newnan, Ga.) and freshmen Michael Gray (Pooler, Ga.), Janei Sewell (Newnan, Ga.) and Brian Sims, Jr. (Trussville, Ala.) which finished 3-of-13 with a time of 3:22.81. Along with the two teams ahead of them, that mark was good enough to best the previous meet record set by Methodist on February 12, 2018.
 
Florence would have a hand in beating another Southern Indoor Challenge record held by Methodist, this time individually in the 400-meters. In that event he ran a 49.38 to finish 3-of-33 and was one of three competitors to blow past the old time of 50.04 also set last February.
 
Freshman Derrick Ward (Marietta, Ga.) would notch the third and final such performance as he posted a time of 8.68 in the 60-meter hurdles. That time was good for a 3-of-20 finish and passed the previous time of 8.79 set by Piedmont's Matt Clark in last year's meet. He would also add a 24-of-56 outing in the 200-meters (23.49).
 
The other members of the 4x400 also notched strong individual performances as Sims, a member of the Lakers men's basketball program and competing in his first collegiate action, finished 5-of-33 in the 400-meters with a time of 50.19. Sewell joined him with a 6-of-51 performance in the 60-meters (7.11) and 18-of-56 outing in the 200-meters (23.20).
 
Clayton State's most senior member, T.J. Witherspoon (Thomasville, Ga.) would deliver another Top-10 performance as he went 4-of-38 with a time of 1:57.68 in the 800-meters. Sophomore Courtland White (Rex, Ga.) rounded out the top performers with a 12^th place finish in that same event, posting a time of 2:00.79.
 
The Lakers will return to action on Saturday, February 16 when they return to Columbia, South Carolina for the high profile USC Open.
 
CLAYTON STATE MEN'S COMPETITORS (13)
Na'im Allen – 800-meters (25-of-38, 2:05.61), 4x400-meters-C (12-of-13, 3:44.07)
Malachi Culbreth – 200-meters (50-of-56, 25.35), 400-meters (22-of-33, 55.20), 4x400-meters-C (12-of-13, 3:44.07)
Churchill Ezeokonkwo – 4x400-meters-B (7-of-13, 3:35.82)
Chris Florence – 400-meters (3-of-33, 49.38)^, 4x400-meters-A (3-of-13, 3:22.81)^ 
Michael Gray – 200-meters (34-of-56, 24.11), 600-meters (16-of-28, 1:28.24), 4x400-meters-A (3-of-13, 3:22.81)^
Evan Ortiz – Mile (10-of-21, 4:35.59), 4x400-meters-C (12-of-13, 3:44.07)
Alex Phillips – 60-meters (15-of-51, 7.27), 200-meters (20-of-56, 23.25), 4x400-meters-C (12-of-13, 3:44.07)
Janei Sewell – 60-meters (6-of-51, 7.11), 200-meters (18-of-56, 23.20), 4x400-meters-A (3-of-13, 3:22.81)^
Brian Sims, Jr. – 400-meters (5-of-33, 50.19), 4x400-meters-A (3-of-13, 3:22.81)^
Derrick Ward – 60-meter Hurdles (3-of-20, 8.68)^, 200-meters (24-of-56, 23.49), 4x400-meters-B (7-of-13, 3:35.82)
Eric Wells-Shiver – 60-meters (14-of-51, 7.26), 200-meters (44-of-56, 24.59)
Courtland White – 800-meters (12-of-38, 2:00.79), 4x400-meters-B (7-of-13, 3:35.82)
T.J. Witherspoon – 800-meters (4-of-38, 1:57.68), 4x400-meters-B (7-of-13, 3:35.82)
^Broke Previous Meet Record for Event