MILL SPRING, N.C.— The Montreat College men's and women's track & field teams returned to competition on Saturday following the holiday break, opening the 2026 calendar year with the UNC Asheville Collegiate Opener at Tryon International. Despite traveling with a limited roster of just seven field athletes, the Cavaliers delivered a strong showing, highlighted by three top-10 finishes and several encouraging early-season performances.
 
On the men's side, freshman William Wood represented the Cavs in both the shot put and weight throw. Wood recorded a personal-best mark of 10.53m in the shot put before turning in a solid 12.47m effort in the weight throw. The Andrews, N.C. native concluded 19^th out of 26 participants in the former event and 10^th out of 18 competitors in the latter contest.
 
The women's team also saw strong contributions from its veteran competitors. Senior Emma Barnes delivered marks in two of her three events, including placing 10^th of 27 in the long jump with a leap of 5.03m. Barnes followed that performance with an impressive 11.51m showing in the shot put, finishing eighth out of 33 throwers. Fellow upperclassman Izzi Ackerman rounded out the Cavaliers' efforts on Saturday, placing 14^th out of 25 weight throw participants with a toss of 11.33m.
 
For a complete look at the results from the UNC Asheville Collegiate Opener, click here.
 
Montreat College's men's and women's track & field teams will look to build on their solid starts to the new year when they return to Mill Spring, N.C. next Friday and Saturday for the Tryon Collegiate Opener.