Both Duronal Monal (Belle Glade, Fla.) and Mike James (Palm Bay, Fla.) were left feeling a little bittersweet after their performances on Friday night at the Virginia Tech Elite Meet inside Rector Field House. With the Buccaneer sprinters looking to showcase strong performances against some of the top competitors in not only the region but the country, James and Monal both committed false starts in their respective events.

James, who was running against a loaded field in the 60m hurdles, won his heat and placed fourth overall in the prelims on Friday evening. The Palm Bay, Fla., native turned in a time of 8.13; however, committed a false start in the finals and didn’t place.

Meanwhile, in the 60m prelims, Monal had the same misfortune he suffered while competing in the event last month at the Niswonger Invitational. For the second time this year, Monal was dealt a false start and couldn’t compete in the event.

Then, in the final event of the night, Monal turned things around in the 200 meters. The senior sprinter won his heat and finished third overall after clocking in at 21.61. James, who was also competing in the event, turned in his fastest time this season – finishing with a mark of 22.82.

The ETSU track and field team returns to action next weekend when the Bucs send athletes to Clemson for the Tiger Paw Classic and to Fayetteville, Ark., for the Tyson Invitational.

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