WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.— The Montreat men's and women's indoor track and field teams returned to Winston-Salem, N.C. on Thursday, their fifth such visit this season. This time, a handful of Cavaliers competed at the Champion College Team Challenge in preparation for next week's Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Dylan Branch once again proved himself as one of Montreat's top competitors on the men's side. The Avon Park, Fla. native took first place in the men's 800m event, crossing the finish line in just 1:57.51. When factoring in the conversion rate from a flat track to a banked/oversized track, Branch fell just 0.6 seconds shy of hitting the NAIA 'B' standard.
Branch also ran with the Montreat men's 4x400m relay team. The quartet of Branch,
Jordan Carlie,
Darrian Bonilla and
Travion Smith ran to the tune of 3:37.32, good for the sixth-best time on Thursday.
On the women's side,
Makayla Anderson pieced together another massive performance in the weight throw. Placing ninth with a distance of 10.78m, Anderson once again broke the women's weight throw Montreat school record, a record she already possessed.
Caleb Potter was among the busiest Cavaliers at the Champion College Team Challenge, competing in both the men's one mile run and the 3,000m event. The Mill Spring, N.C. native registered top-10 finishes in both races, crossing the end line in seventh place (4:46.27) in the one mile and eighth place (9:10.29) in the 3,000m.
Two other Cavaliers recorded top-10 results in their respective events on Thursday, both on the men's side. Smith, who also ran in the 4x400m relay, put together a strong 23.44-second 200m dash, the seventh-best time of the night. Meanwhile,
Dustin Blevins sprinted himself to a ninth-place result in the 60m dash by recording a time of 7.13 seconds.
For a full list of results from the Champion College Team Challenge, click
here.
The Montreat men's and women's indoor track and field teams continue their preparation for the AAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, which are set to take place Feb. 17-18 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
