HARRISONBURG, Va. – The EMU Track & Field team concluded their two days as the host of the ODAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday, going up against both the other teams and the weather on a rainy day in Harrisonburg. In addition to putting on a well-run championship meet of the conference, the Royals also acquitted themselves well in competition.
Koran Rucker won his second individual ODAC championship in as many days, claiming the top spot on the podium in the discus throw. The first-year from Philadelphia was one of five Royal men to earn an All-ODAC honor in at least one event. Rucker was joined by
Ahsan Abul-Qasim (200m, long jump, 4x400m),
Nick Arnold (400mH, 4x400m),
Josh Joseph (4x400m), and
Da'Shawn Winters (4x400m).
Team Scores: 1) Lynchburg – 249; 2) Roanoke 137; 3) Washington & Lee - 105; 4) Bridgewater - 100
5) EMU - 57
Day 2 Highlights
- SPRINTS
- 100m Dash (Final): Before the relay, Winters score a couple of points for the Royals individually with a seventh-place finish in the 100m, breaking the tape in 10.93.
- 200m Dash (Final): Abul-Qasim dashed his way to third place and All-ODAC Third Team honors with a new personal record time of 21.73. Furthermore, Abul-Qasim now ranks third in EMU history in the outdoor 200m.
- 110m Hurdles (Final): Shaddai Bailey placed sixth, running a respectable time of 16.30 while dealing with a strong headwind in the 100mH final.
- 400m Hurdles (Final): Arnold made All-ODAC Third Team, finishing third with a time of 54.35. This is the second year in a row that Arnold has earned all-conference in this event.
- DISTANCE/MID-DISTANCE
- 800m Run: Alex Belisle led the way for the Royals in this event, completing two laps of the track in 2:06.42 to place 20th.
- 1500m Run: Ethan Kanagy turned in a time of 4:22.20 and a 22nd-place finish.
- THROWS
- Discus: Rucker's championship-winning throw of 44.49m (145'11") came on his fourth attempt of the day. It was over a meter better than the best throw of runner-up Grady Speer of Shenandoah. Rucker became the first men's track & field Royal to win multiple events in the same ODAC outdoor championship meet since Michael Allen claimed both the long jump and triple jump back in 2011. Silas Bates turned in a personal record mark of 36.84m (120'10") to place 10th overall.
- RELAYS
- 4x400m Relay: The team of Joseph, Abul-Qasim, Winters and Arnold combined for a time of 3:21.79 to edge out Randolph College for Third Team All-ODAC honors.
What's Next
A few EMU athletes will continue on to last chance meets in an effort to qualify for the NCAA Championships, starting with the Lee Last Chance on Friday and Saturday, May 8-9 in Cleveland, Tenn.
