WINCHESTER, Va. – Before turning their attention to final exams and winter break, the athletes of EMU Track & Field made the trip up I-81 to Winchester for the Shenandoah University Holiday Kickoff. The meet featured competitors from four other ODAC schools: Hollins, Lynchburg, Washington & Lee, and the host school Shenandoah.
The men's team had several great performances, headlined by three event winners:
Ahsan Abul-Qasim in the high jump,
Koran Rucker in the shot put, and men's 4x400-meter relay team of
Nick Arnold, Abul-Qasim,
Donnell Turner, and
Da'Shawn Winters. As a team, the Royals finished second overall with 80 points, trailing only meet champion Dickinson College (170 pts.).
Highlights
- SPRINTS
- 60m Dash: Turner made the finals, finishing fourth with a time of 7.06.
- 200m Dash: Jameel Vann represented the Royals in this event, crossing the line in 24.22 to place 12th.
- 400m Dash: Arnold took home the runner-up spot, sprinting two laps of the indoor track in 50.19.
- 60m Hurdles: Shaddai Bailey claimed third place, breaking the tape in a PR time of 8.80. Bailey moved up one spot to eighth in EMU history in this event.
- DISTANCE
- Mile Run: Ethan Kanagy scored points for the Royals, finishing sixth place in a personal record time of 4:52.45.
- RELAYS
- 4x400m Relay: Arnold, Abul-Qasim, Turner and Winters teamed up for a time of 3:28.61, outlasting the team from Dickinson by four-tenths of a second.
- JUMPS
- High Jump: Abul-Qasim cleared an impressive height of 2.01m (6'7") to comfortably win the high jump. He now ranks second in EMU history for the indoor high jump and currently sits seventh in all of Division III this season.
- Long Jump: Abul-Qasim placed fifth with a best mark of 6.51m (21'4.25"), followed closely by Hezekiah Brown in sixth at 6.45m (21'2").
- Pole Vault: Alex Jantzen made his EMU debut with a clearance of 3.20m (10'6")
- THROWS
- Shot Put: Rucker's winning throw of 14.58m (47'10") came his fifth throw of the day. Silas Bates also made the podium in third place with a mark of 12.96m (42'6"), followed by David Pinon in sixth with a best throw of 11.83m (38'9.5").
- Weight Throw: Rucker took home second place in the weight throw with a personal record of 14.98m (49'1.75"). Rucker currently leads the ODAC in both the weight throw and shot put so far this season.
What's Next
EMU Track & Field's athletes will have to wait over a month for their next chance to compete. They will return to Shenandoah on Sunday, Jan. 11 for the Kaye & JJ Smith Invitational. The first events in Winchester will begin at 11 a.m.
