HARRISONBURG, Va. –  The athletes of EMU Track & Field were very busy this weekend, traveling not one but two meets. One group stayed local, going to the Doc Jopson Invitational at Bridgewater, while another part of the team went to the Dr. Jack M. Toms Invitational, hosted by the University of Lynchburg.
 
The men's team enjoyed a great weekend, consisting of several top-10 finishes and personal record performances in both Lynchburg and Bridgewater. Most notably, Bellamy Immanuel picked up a win in the 5000-meter run at Doc Jopson, his ninth victory of the academic year going back to the cross country season in the fall.

Highlights (Dr. Jack M. Toms Invitational – Lynchburg, Va.)

• DISTANCE/MID-DISTANCE
  • 800m Run: Abenezer Abebe ran a new personal best, completing two laps of the track in 1:58.31.
  • 1500m Run Invite: Immanuel finished 18th in the invitational division, going up against a deep field that included several DI athletes. Immanuel clocked in at a time of 3:59.44, good for sixth in the ODAC so far this season.
• SPRINTS
  • 100m Dash: Isaiah Reid was the top Royal in the 100m, breaking the tape in a time of 10.82 to finish 11th. That time puts Reid third all-time in EMU history for the 100m.
  • 200m Dash: Damon Morgan dashed his way to a season best time of 22.11, good for 12th overall. Reid and Da'Shawn Winters both ran personal record times, clocking in at 22.26 and 22.52, respectively.
  • 400m Hurdles: Nick Arnold ran well, setting a new PR of 56.69 to finish sixth overall. Arnold's time puts him fourth in the ODAC so far this season for the 400m hurdles.
• JUMPS
  • Long Jump: Winters leapt 6.07m (19'-11") to placed 16th overall.
• RELAYS
  • 4x100m Relay: The relay team of Winters, Morgan, Shaddai Bailey, and Reid teamed up for a time of 42.56, finishing fourth overall. That is the third-best 4x100m relay time in the ODAC so far this season.

Highlights (Doc Jopson Invitational – Bridgewater, Va.)

• DISTANCE/MID-DISTANCE
  • 5000m Run: Immanuel's winning time of 15:40.48 was just edge out unattached athlete Tucker McGrath by six one-hundredths of a second.
  • 800m Run: Immanuel followed up his win in the 5k with a fourth-place finish in the 800m, running a time of 1:58.25. Ethan Kanagy set a personal best time, clocking in at 2:08.21.
  • 1500m Run: Will Bartel was the top Royal in this event, setting a new PR time of 4:48.63.
  • 10,000m Run: Luke Buckwalter ran a personal record time of 37:25.38, good for 11th place.
  • 3000m Steeplechase: Ben Huyard impressed with a personal best time, completing 7.5 laps of the track in 11:27.20, finishing 10th.
• THROWS
  • Discus: Grant Leichty put forth a great performance, throwing a personal record of 38.08m (124'-11") to finish fifth. That mark puts Leichty ninth in the ODAC so far this season as well as seventh on the EMU all-time list.
  • Hammer: Leichty was also the top Royal in the hammer, heaving another personal best mark of 35.23m (115'-7"). That moves him up to fifth in EMU history for that event.
  • Javelin: Mathew Lawson represented the Royals well, finishing 15th with a throw of 28.95m (95'-0").
  • Shot Put: Leitchy capped a great triple in the throws with a 10th-place showing in the shot put, throwing a mark of 12.23m (40'-1.5").

What's Next
The EMU Track & Field team be back in action next Friday and Saturday, April 4-5, sending athletes to compete in the Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, Va.