Men's Track & Field | January 14, 2024
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Clayton State University men's and women's track & field teams returned to action on Sunday at the Emory CrossPlex Invitational. The Lakers eclipsed several school records at the meet.
MEN'S SIDE
The Laker men's team finished in third place out of 18 schools, with 71 points. Emory won the meet with 133.5 points followed by Montevallo with 78 points. Clayton State saw a lot of success on the track, starting in the 3K with
Camron Gaddis finishing in 10
th place with a time of 8:58.60. That time is good for fifth all-time in program history. The Laker success continued into the 400m dash with
Keith Hicks. Hicks finished in third place with a time of 51.63.
Da'Tavion Lawson and
Markeith Horace finished seventh and eighth in the race. In the 300m dash,
Titus Hand crossed the finish line in fifth place with a time of 35.86. That is good for the second-best time in school history. Freshman
Justin Powell finished in seventh in the race.
In the 60m dash,
Kelvin Oppong broke the school record with a time of 6.95. He is only the third Laker to go sub seven seconds in the 60m dash. He ended up finishing eighth in the finals.
In the 800m run, the Lakers saw breakout performances from
Rakiem Barnes,
Sancho Smith, and Gaddis. Barnes and Smith finished in second and third, with times of 2:00.09 and 2:01.17, respectively. Camron finished the race in sixth place with a time of 2:01.74. In the 200m dash, Hand finished in sixth place with a time of 22.56. Action wrapped up on the track in the 4x200 meter and 4x400 meter relays. The team of Hand, Oppong,
Dominic Archer, and
Christopher Hart shattered the school record in the 4x200 meter relay with a time of 1:31.77. To close the meet, the team of Barnes, Smith,
Lance Little, and
Nehemiah Horton finished in third place in the 4x400 meter relay with a time of 3:30.59.
In the field events,
Freddie Hawkins picked up a win in the high jump with a final mark of 1.95m. In the long jump,
Davonte Jackson jumped the seventh longest mark of 6.50m. Jackson followed that up with a third-place finish in the triple jump with a final mark of 13.74m.
WOMEN'S SIDE
The Laker women's team finished in second place with 76 points. Emory won the meet with a final score of 140.
Tanaeya Johnson got the Lakers off to a hot start to the meet as she brought home second place in the 3K with a time of 11:02.92. In the 60m dash,
Maya Adams finished in 11
th place with a final time of 8.08. In the 400m dash, freshman
Kennedy McDonald and sophomore
Mikayla Osborne finished in second and third place with times of 60.28 and 60.65.
In the 300m dash,
Ariyonna Jones broke her own school record and finished as the race's victor with a final time of 40.48. Jones would continue her dominance on the track in the 200m dash where she would win the race with a time of 25.16.
Cayla Brown and McDonald finished in sixth and seventh place in the race.
In the 600m,
Ahlana Failey would cross the finish line in eighth place with a time of 1:42.32. In the 800m run,
JaBresha Palmer brought home a fifth-place medal with a time of 2:26.96.
Ivorie Smith finished eighth in the race. The Lakers concluded play on the track with the 4x200 meter and 4x400 meter relays. The team of Jones, Osborne, McDonald, and
Jada Jenkins broke the school record in the 4x200 meter relay with a time of 1:44.96. To conclude play on the track was the 4x400 meter relay. The team of Palmer,
Cassidy Jenkins, Smith, and
Joy McLeod finished in second with a time of 4:17.46.
In the field,
Jaazer Ridges finished nineth in the long jump with a final distance of 4.67m and fourth in the triple jump with a final mark of 10.41m. In the long jump,
Trinity Acree finished with a mark of 4.11m. In the high jump,
Jada Colbert finished in fourth with a final height of 1.45m.
Below are all the top-10 finishers for the Lakers at the Emory CrossPlex Invitational
*New School Record
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Lakers continue its indoor season as they compete in the KMS Invitational on Sunday, January 21
st. The meet also takes place in Birmingham, Ala.
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