HARRISONBURG, Va. – Following a rainy Friday, the ODAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships wrapped up on sunny Saturday at EMU's new track & field complex.
The men's team excelled on the second day of competition.
Nick Arnold, a sophomore from Greensboro, N.C., earned the title of ODAC champion by winning the 400-meter hurdles. Arnold is the Royals' first ODAC individual champion since Alijah Johnson won the 200-meter dash in 2022.
As a squad, the Royals finished sixth place overall, the best team finish for men's track & field since their fifth-place performance in 2022.
Team Scores: 1) Lynchburg – 263; 2) Washington & Lee – 113; 3) Roanoke – 94;
6) EMU – 49.5
Day 2 Highlights
- SPRINTS
- 400m Hurdles: Arnold's ODAC-winning time of 54.69 ranks him seventh in EMU history. He wasn't the only Royal to perform well in the event either, as Micah Mast ran a personal record of 57.39 to take fifth place. Arnold and Mast combined to amass 14 points in the event for the Royals.
- 110m Hurdles: In the shorter of the two hurdles events, Shaddai Bailey set a PR time of 15.66 to finish fourth overall, good for five points toward EMU's team total.
- 200m Dash: Damon Morgan sprinted half a lap of the track in 22.18 to take sixth place.
- 4x100m Relay: The relay team of Da'Shawn Winters, Damon Morgan, Bailey, and Isaiah Reid got the baton around the track in 42.93 to finish fifth overall.
- DISTANCE/MID-DISTANCE
- 800m Run: After a medal-winning steeplechase on Friday, Bellamy Immanuel earned fifth place in the 800m with a season-best time of 1:55.35.
- 1500m Run: Ethan Kanagy and Ben Huyard ran personal record times of 4:23.26 and 4:30.70, respectively.
- 5000m Run: Immanuel traversed the 12.5-lap event in 15:35.25, a season-best time, to place ninth, just one position shy of scoring.
- JUMPS
- Pole Vault: Micah Mast cleared the bar at 3.86m (12'-8") to slot into a tie for sixth place.
- Triple Jump: Brendan Apgar made the final with a mark of 12.01m (39'-5"), finishing ninth.
- THROWS
- Discus: Grant Leichty made the podium, securing second place with a PR throw of 43.83m (143'-9").
What's Next
The EMU Track & Field team will continue their season with a few last chance meets in May. They will next compete on Friday, May 2 at the Hill City Twilight, hosted by the University of Lynchburg.
