BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C.— The Montreat men's track & field team hosted its annual outdoor meet, the Montreat College Open, on Friday and Saturday at Pulliam Stadium in Black Mountain, N.C. Competing against teams and athletes from all levels, the Cavaliers' 48 entries racked up two national standards, one school record and 11 top-5 finishes across 18 events.
Montreat picked up a pair of wins during the opening day of action highlighted by
Dylan Branch's 3000m steeplechase debut. The Avon Park, Fla. native delivered an NAIA "B" standard time of 9:27.07 as he beat a field of 13 runners for the victory.
Dustin Blevins captured the Cavs' other triumph on Friday, doing so in the long jump. Utilizing a leap of 7.11m, Blevins came out on top ahead of 30 other jumpers.
Gregory Curry II joined Blevins inside the top five thanks to his fifth-place 6.61m effort.
The hosts collected two additional top-5 marks in the field as
Edward McClellan and
Caleb Wells impressed among a pool of 15 pole vaulters. McClellan matched his personal best when he cleared 4.00m, and Wells finished just one spot back at 3.80m.
Caleb Wright and
Hunter Smathers rounded out the action on Friday in the 10000m. Wright shaved nearly a second off his personal best to finish in 31:45.33 and claim runner-up, while Smathers placed fifth in his event debut thanks to a time of 33:29.18.
Wyatt Wilson set the bar high Saturday morning when he met the "B" standard and eclipsed the school record in the 5000m race walk. A native of Shelby, N.C., Wilson crossed the finish line in fifth out of 12 participants. Wilson's 25:24.19 showing broke his own school-best time by 11.63 seconds, and it cleared the needed time for a national standard by more than 90 seconds.
Also on the track, the Cavaliers placed top-5 in a pair of relays. Out of 15 squads in the 4x400m, the relay of
Kaleel Stevenson,
Ruchen Blaauw,
Darrian Bonilla and
Alejandro Hernandez combined for a third-place time of 3:25.89. Meanwhile,
Aaron Hall,
Juan Arce,
Cameron Rice and Blevins finished fourth (41.81 seconds) as they narrowly missed a standard in the 4x100m.
Montreat's other top-5 mark from Saturday came in the field. Curry II placed fifth for the second instance on the weekend, this time in the high jump. The Auburn, Ala. native matched his personal best at 1.90m, beating 19 other jumpers in the process.
For full results from the Montreat College Open, click
here.
The Montreat men's track & field team goes back on the road next Friday for the Gotta Run Invite, hosted by Southern Wesleyan University, in Central, S.C.
