HARRISONBURG, Va. – Friday marked a momentous occasion for EMU Track & Field. For the first time in over three years, the Royals held a home meet on campus, hosting the EMU Heritage Invitational at their brand new track & field complex. Athletes from Averett, Bridgewater, Hollins, Mary Baldwin, Roanoke, Sweet Briar, and Washington & Lee made the trip to compete against the Royals.
 
On an unusually cool April day, Damon Morgan, a senior from Oxford, Ala., led the way for the Royal men, winning both the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. Bellamy Immanuel also claimed an event win in the 3000-meter steeplechase, and the men's 4x100-meter relay won as well in a great day of competition for the men's team.
 

Highlights

• DISTANCE/MID-DISTANCE
  • 800m Run: Abenezer Abebe took home second place in a time of 1:58.43.
  • 1500m Run: Immanuel crossed the line in third place in a time of 4:09.60.
  • 5000m Run: Luke Buckwalter made the podium with a third-place finish and a personal record time of 17:17.77.
  • 3000m Steeplechase: Immanuel broke the tape for the victory in 9:41.62, 28 seconds ahead of runner-up Thomas Kallen of Washington & Lee.
• SPRINTS
  • 100m Dash: Morgan's winning time was 10.96, the only sprinter to get under 11 seconds in the 100. Nickolas Andrews of Averett finished second in 11.04.
  • 200m Dash: Morgan completed his individual event double with a time of 22.20 to win the 200.
  • 400m Dash: Milo Hertzler was the top Royal with a ninth-place finish and a time of 53.63.
  • 400m Hurdles: Nick Arnold took the runner-up spot in a personal best time of 55.83. That puts Arnold ninth on EMU's top 10 all-time list in the 400m hurdles.
• JUMPS
  • Long Jump: Brendan Apgar was third overall with a mark of 6.22m (20'-5").
  • Triple Jump: Apgar also placed third in the triple jump, landing in the sand pit at 12.33m (40'-5.5").
• THROWS
  • Discus: Grant Leichty was the top Royal in this event, throwing a mark of 34.11m (111'-11").
  • Javelin: Mathew Lawson stayed late to compete in the javelin, with a throw of 27.94m (91'-8").
  • Hammer: Leichty turned in a best throw of the day of 32.93m (108'-0").
  • Shot Put: Will Ramos threw a personal record of 9.01m (29'-6.75").
• RELAYS
  • The 4x100-meter relay team of Da'Shawn Winters, Morgan, Shaddai Bailey and Isaiah Reid won with a time of 43.31. That time puts them at ninth all-time in EMU history for the 4x100.

What's Next
The EMU Track & Field team will hit the road for the Shippensburg Mid-Week PR Bonanza in Shippensburg, Pa., on Wednesday, April 16.