LEXINGTON, Va. –  The EMU Track & Field team opened up the spring outdoor portion of their 2025 season this weekend, traveling an hour down I-81 to compete in the Washington & Lee Carnival in Lexington.
 
On the men's side, the Royals' sprinters racked up six top-10 finishes across five events, pole vaulter Micah Mast finished eighth, and Grant Leichty placed 10th in the shot put to get the outdoor season underway.

Highlights

• DISTANCE/MID-DISTANCE
  • 1500m Run: Nate Lehman led the way in the 1500, running his way to a PR time of 4:24.87 and a 12th-place finish.
  • 5000m Run: In the longest race of the meet, Luke Buckwalter and Charlie O'Neil finished 12th and 13th with times of 17:19.85 and 17:26.67, respectively. Both times are personal records.
• SPRINTS
  • 100m Dash: Da'Shawn Winters was the fast Royal in the 100, clocking in at a personal best time of 11.36 to finish sixth overall out of 48 finishers.
  • 200m Dash: Damon Morgan crossed the finish line in a time of 22.57 to place fifth.
  • 400m Dash: Nick Arnold made the podium with a third-place finish, completing a lap of the track in a personal record time of 49.29. That time puts Arnold seventh in EMU history for the outdoor 400.  Isaiah Reid also ran a personal best time, clocking in at 50.71 to place sixth.
  • 110m Hurdles: Shaddai Bailey broke the tape in a time of 16.38, good for eighth overall.
• JUMPS
  • Pole Vault: Mast cleared the bar at 3.86m (12'-8") for an eighth place showing. The outdoor personal best puts Mast at ninth on EMU's all-time list for the outdoor pole vault.
• THROWS
  • Discus: Leichty opened up the outdoor campaign with a mark of 30.58m (100'-4").
  • Javelin: Mathew Lawson threw the javelin 28.45m (93'-4").
  • Shot Put: Leichty's 10th-place effort landed at 11.71m (38'-5").

 
What's Next
The EMU Track & Field team will split up at two different meets next weekend. Some athletes will go to the Doc Jopson Invite at Bridgewater College, while other Royals will compete at the Dr. Jack Toms Alumni Invitational at the University of Lynchburg. Both meets are taking place on Friday and Saturday, March 28-29.