LYNCHBURG, Va. – The EMU Track & Field team laced up their spikes for the first time this season at the Liberty Kickoff on Thursday and Friday in Lynchburg, Va. The meet featured a deep field that included several Division I schools, including Duke and Virginia. ODAC rivals Lynchburg, Roanoke, Hollins, Sweet Briar, Roanoke, and Ferrum also sent athletes to Liberty.
The men's team sent a group of mostly sprinters and jumpers to Liberty. Overall, the Royals started their season off on the right foot, with two athletes re-writing EMU's top-10 all-time indoor lists in their events.
Highlights
- DISTANCE/MID-DISTANCE
- 800m Run: Abenezer Abebe took home 13th place with a time of 2:03.94.
- 3000m Run: In a heat with several Division I athletes, Bellamy Immanuel placed ninth overall, running 15 laps of the track in 8:46.85.
- SPRINTS
- 60m Dash: Isaiah Reid ran well in his first meet as a Royal, winning his heat in a PR time of 7.06 seconds. Furthermore, Reid now sits third in EMU history in the indoor 60m, trailing just Damon Morgan and school record holder Alijah Johnson.
- 60m Hurdles: Shaddai Bailey crossed the line in 9.25 seconds, just .01 off of his personal best.
- 200m Dash: Morgan took his turn leading the Royals in the 200m, breaking the tape in 22.86.
- 300m Dash: Ethan Lloyd completed one-and-a-half laps around the 200m track in a time of 39.16.
- 500m Dash: Nick Arnold rose all the way to second in EMU history in the 500m, crossing the finish line in an impressive time of 1:05.21. Arnold placed sixth, outpacing athletes from Duke and Virginia in the process.
- JUMPS
- Long Jump: Da'Shawn Winters leapt 6.45m (21'-2") for a 12th-place finish, outjumping several athletes from ODAC rival Lynchburg and Division I Norfolk State.
- Triple Jump: Brendan Apgar went 12.08m (39'-7.75") on his first triple jump effort of the season.
What's Next
This Sunday, Dec. 8, EMU will send a larger group of athletes to the Holiday Kickoff at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va. It will be the Royals' last meet before an extended break from competition for the holidays. The first event at Wilkins Athletics & Events Center will begin at 1 p.m.
