DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Junior Chris Florence (Newnan, Ga.) anchored a pair of repeat championships in the 400-meters and 4x400-meter relay as Clayton State men's track & field closed out the final day of the 2019 Peach Belt Conference Championships on Saturday, April 20. As a team they finished sixth with 40 points.
 
Florence earned his third and fourth career PBC Championships on the day, beginning when he posted a time of 47.96 in the 400-meters. That mark earned him a repeat championship and outdistanced the other seven competitors in the final.
 
In the final event of the championships, Florence would team with senior T.J. Witherspoon (Thomasville, Ga.) and freshmen Churchill Ezeokonkwo (Riverdale, Ga.) and Brian Sims, Jr. (Trussville, Ala.) in the 4x400-meter relay. That group produced a time of 3:18.85 to outpace the other five teams to give the Lakers a second straight PBC Championship in that event. Florence was the only returning member from last year's squad.
 
Witherspoon delivered the next best performance as he finished fourth in the finals of the 800-meters, posting a time of 1:56.28. Sophomore Courtland White (Rex, Ga.) would finish eight in that event, overall out of 20 individuals including the preliminaries.
 
A pair of newcomers would round out the top performances for Clayton State as freshman Ricardo Saams, Jr. (Miramar, Fla.) posted a solid 5-of-12 outing in the high jump (1.85m) while freshman Derrick Ward (Marietta, Ga.) was 5-of-16 in the 400-meter hurdles (56.57).
 
Clayton State will now turn its attention to a push for the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championships as they'll add at least one "last chance" meet in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to www.ClaytonStateSports.com for all the details as the Lakers look to secure individual berths in the championships.
 
CLAYTON STATE MEN'S COMPETITORS - SATURDAY, APRIL 20 (7)
Churchill Ezeokonkwo – 4x400-meter Relay (1-of-6, 3:18.85)&
Chris Florence – 200-meters (6-of-8, 22.91), 400-meters (1-of-19, 47.96)&, 4x400-meter Relay (1-of-6, 3:18.85)&
Ricardo Saams, Jr. – High Jump (5-of-12, 1.85m)
Brian Sims, Jr. – 4x400-meter Relay (1-of-6, 3:18.85)&
Derrick Ward – 400-meter Hurdles (5-of-16, 56.57)
Courtland White – 800-meters (8-of-20, 1:59.11)
T.J. Witherspoon – 800-meters (4-of-20, 1:56.28), 4x400-meter Relay (1-of-6, 3:18.85)&
&Indicates Conference Champion/All-Conference First-Team