LYNCHBURG, Va. – With the calendar turned to May, the athletes of EMU Track & Field have shifted their focus to setting new personal best and EMU Top-10 marks as well as attempting to qualify for nationals in last chance meets.
On the men's side, four athlete represented the Royals at the Liberty Twilight Qualifier, hosted at the Matthes-Hopkins Track Complex on the campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg. In particular,
Filipo Toelau and
Koran Rucker both stood out with a pair of EMU school record performances.
Highlights
- SPRINTS
- 110m Hurdles: Toelau, a first-year from Harrisonburg, broke the EMU school record with a fast time of 14.59 to place sixth in the prelims. The previous EMU record of 14.61 by Adam Starks had stood since 2003.
- 400m Hurdles: Nick Arnold finished 10th, completing one lap of the track in 56.25.
- JUMPS
- Long Jump: Ahsan Abul-Qasim took home 10th overall, going 6.46m (21'2.5") on his best jump of the day.
- THROWS
- Discus: Rucker, a first-year from Philadelphia, shined in the throws circle again for the Royals, resetting his own school record in the discus. On his fourth throw of the day, Rucker got a mark of 50.25m (164'10"), roughly 2.5 meters better than his previous personal and school record of 47.74m (156'7"). In the process, Rucker finished ninth, beating out several Division I throwers.
- Hammer: The positive momentum from the discus did not entirely carry over to the hammer throw for Rucker, settling for a mark of 43.65m but still finishing ninth.
- Shot Put: Rucker placed eighth with a throw of 15.44m (50'8").
What's Next
The Royals continue their slate of last chance meets to close out the 2026 season with a trip to the Lee Last Chance this Saturday, May 9 in Cleveland, Tenn. The first events will begin at 10:30 a.m.
