Member of the ETSU men’s and women’s track and field teams competed at the Appalachian Open Track and Field Meet last Friday in Boone, N.C., in a tune-up meet for the Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
The men’s squad recorded two individual victories, while the women’s team had individual titles, including two by sophomore Cheryl Howard. Both teams also had several top-eight performances as numerous athletes recorded season-best performances.
Howard took first place in both the high jump and triple jump. Howard’s jump of 5 feet and 4 inches in the high jump topped second place finisher Leigh-Ann Ronk of Appalachian State by two inches.
Howard’s jump of 34’09” in the triple jump was just over two inches ahead of Winthrop University’s Tomieka Banics (34’06.75″).
Kim Simmons also earned an individual victory for ETSU, finishing in first place in the 400-meter dash with a season-best time of 57.21 seconds. Simmons was followed closely in the 400m by teammate Tiffany Collier, who finished second, just two-tenths of a second behind in a season-best 57.41, also.
Nichola Cornish also placed well in the sprints, finishing second in the 200m in 25.49 seconds. Octavia Goode of Winthrop University won the 200m in 24.79.
In the field events senior Brooke Deacon finished second overall in the long jump with a season-best jump of 17’04.25″. Brooke Thompson of North Carolina Asheville finished first (17’04.75″).
On the men’s side, ETSU got victories from sophomores David Cabbler and David Haefner in the 400m dash and 5000m run, respectively.
Cabbler took first place with a time of 50.24, topping High Point University’s Alex Baikovs by just under two-tenths of a second (50.42).
Haefner’s run of 15:38.86 in the 5000m gave him a more than 20-second victory over second-place finisher Derrick Williamson (15:59.47).
Also competing well for ETSU were freshmen distance runners Brad Yewer and James Grufferty.
Yewer placed third in the 800m run with a season-best time of 1:56.55. Yewer finished just one-tenth of a second behind High Point University’s Dan Gariepy (1:56.45) for second place and was five-one hundredths of a second ahead of Brevard College’s Jamar Bryson, who finished in fourth place (1:56.60).
Grufferty placed second overall in the 1500m with his time of 4:01.05.
High Point’s Baikovs won the 1500m in 4:00.24.
In the field events, sophomore Rhett Ezzell finished in third place with a jump of 6′.00″ and junior Adam Woods placed fourth overall in the pole vault (13’06”). Chad Hyder also finished in the top-eight with his seventh place in the shot put (43’02.5″).
The SoCon championships will begin on Thursday and continue through Saturday at Liberty Bell Track.
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Notes: Senior Jennifer Howard competed at the Sea Ray Relays hosted by the University of Tennessee last Friday.
Howard finished 21st overall in the 400m with a season-best time of 56.20 seconds.
Charvin Clark also competed at UT, placing ninth overall in the long jump at 23’07.25″.

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