SALEM, Va. – EMU Track & Field stayed local for its meet this weekend, heading the Edward S. Long, Jr. Track Complex just east of Harrisonburg to compete in the Shane Stevens Winter Invitational, hosted by Bridgewater College. The meet started earlier and was shortened due to impending winter weather heading towards the area.
For the Royal men, three different athletes won their events:
Nick Arnold in the 400-meter run,
Da'Shawn Winters in the long jump, and
Koran Rucker in the shot put.
Highlights
- SPRINTS
- 60m Dash: Ethan Lloyd led the way for EMU with a fourth-place finish and a personal best time of 7.16. Isaiah Reid also got a top-10 finish in sixth with a time of 7.20.
- 200m Dash: Arnold was the top Royal in this event, sprinting one lap of the track in 22.78.
- 400m Dash: Arnold won the 400m with an impressive time and indoor PR of 49.49, beating runner-up Eli Wilson of Christopher Newport by nearly two seconds. With that performance, Arnold moves up to sixth in EMU history for the indoor 400m.
- 60m Hurdles: Shaddai Bailey placed second, breaking the tape in a time of 8.87.
- DISTANCE
- 800m Run: Ben Huyard was the first Royal across the finish line in 13th with a time of 2:13.12.
- Mile Run: Huyard also fared well in the mile, setting a new personal record time of 4:52.11.
- JUMPS
- Long Jump: Winters leapt 6.72m (22'0.75") on his winning jump. Ahsan Abul-Qasim completed a 1-2 EMU finish with a mark of 6.47m (21'2.75") to finish second.
- THROWS
- Shot Put: Rucker won with a best throw of 14.73m (48'3.75"), edging out Jesus Flores of Bridgewater by .03 of a meter.
- Weight Throw: Rucker completed his double with a fourth-place finish and a mark of 13.68m (44'10.75").
What's Next
The EMU Track & Field team will make its second trip to the Cregger Center at Roanoke College this season when they compete at the Bast-Cregger Multi Invitational next Friday and Saturday, Jan. 30-31.
