Men's Track & Field | January 19, 2025
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Clayton State University track & field teams competed in its first meet in 2025 at the KMS Invitational on Sunday. The Lakers saw quite a bit of top five performances and a plethora of first-place finishes.
MEN'S SIDE
The meet kicked off with the 4x200 meter relay. The team of
Titus Hand,
Kalani Wyman,
Rohan Holness, and
Markeith Horace finished in fourth with a time of 1:31.78, which was .01 second shy of tying the school record. Later, on the track,
Camron Gaddis had himself a day starting in the mile run where he finished in third place with a time of 4:23.28. Gaddis was the highest finishing "attached" runner in the race. In the 800m run,
Nehemiah Horton,
Sancho Smith, and
Rakiem Barnes finished in second, third, and fourth, respectively. Horton turned in a time of 1:58.58 while Smith and Barnes clocked times of 1:58.88 and 1:59.71, respectively. Nehemiah ran the 10
th fastest time in program history. Gaddis continued his strong day on the track in the 3K, crossing the finish line in third place and clocked a time of 8:57.75. Gaddis is one of only four runners to go sub-nine minutes in the race. Camron finished with a PR in the race.
Action on the track concluded with the 4x400 meter relay. The team of Hand, Holness, Smith, and Barnes finished in fourth with a time of 3:26.
In the field,
Davonte Jackson showed out for the Lakers. Jackson won the triple jump with a final mark of 14.75m. That is good for second all-time and a PR for Davonte. Jackson also finished in fifth place overall in the long jump with a final distance of 6.67m. Play concluded in the high jump as
Christian Wiltshire and
Freddie Hawkins both finished with final marks of 1.85m. Wiltshire achieved a PR and is currently in a tie for fifth all-time in the event.
WOMEN'S SIDE
The meet was kicked off with the 4x200 meter relay. The team of
Destiny Hanna, Ziona Harris,
Jada Jenkins, and
Cassidy Jenkins won the race with a time of 1:46.60. The team of
Payton Knowles,
Rebecca Oji,
Aerin Summers, and
Jada McClide finished in second with a time of 1:48.63. In the 600m run,
Ivorie Smith,
Marley Tate, and
Ahlana Failey placed fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively. Smith ran the race in 1:40.07 while Tate and Failey finished with times of 1:41.55 and 1:42.36, respectively. In the 60m dash, Knowles qualified for the semifinals with a time of 8.08. In her semifinal race, she finished in 15
th with the same time. Hanna and
Cassidy Jenkins also qualified for the 60m semifinals.
In the 400m dash, Palmer led the Lakers with a 9
th place finish with a time of 61.85. Palmer carried that momentum into the 800m run where she won the race with time of 2:28.38. Tate, Smith, and Failey rounded out the top four places in the race. The Lakers concluded matters on the track in the 4x400 meter relay. The team of Palmer, Harris, Oji, and Failey finished in fifth place with a time of 4:20.42.
Below are the Top 15 finishes for the Lakers in the KMS Invitational:
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Lakers compete in the Tiger Indoor Invitational, Hosted by Sewanee University of the South, on Saturday, February 1
st.
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