The Southside Power & Fitness Invitational got underway on Friday, and the Lenoir-Rhyne Track and Field Teams picked up some top finishes in the first events of the weekend.

The competition the Bears excelled at the most in was the high jump event, especially in the women’s division. Sofia Lanina (1.60-meters) and Destini Wilson (1.55-meters) took home podium finishes as they placed second and third, respectively.

In the men’s division, Orlando Descartes came in second with his 1.90-meter leap.

Shifting over to the women’s shot put, Olivia Jackson finished second in the event with her 12.63-meter hurl. Marlesia Walker (10.58-meters) and Savannah Nippa (10.34-meters) also had good showings in the event with sixth and seventh place finishes, respectively.

Walker and Nippa also secured some strong results in the women discuss throw. Walker finished fifth in the event with a 32.88-meter throw, just edging out Nippa who finished sixth with a 31.90-meter toss.

Ellis Horton recorded two Top 10 finishes to start the weekend in the men’s discus throw and shot-put competition. The senior’s best finish came in the discus throw, a fourth-place result thanks to his 46.19-meter heave. He also garnered a ninth-place finish in the shot-put event with a 12.54-meter throw.

Monte Scott also had a solid outing in the men’s discus throw as he finished in eighth with his 39.76-meter hurl.

The App State track and field team recorded three event wins and tallied 12 top-five finishes on the first day of the Southside Power & Fitness Invitational hosted by Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory on Friday.

Junior Chris Wainscott garnered gold in the men’s shot put with a personal best of 17.89m (58′ 8.25), which keeps him at third in the App State record book for the event. Wainscott also secured silver in the men’s discus with a toss of 48.51m (159′ 2″). Fellow junior Nathan Karl took third in the men’s shot put (15.94m (52′ 3.5″)) and rounded out the top-five in the men’s discus (45.76m (150′ 2″)).

Sophomore Daiyanna Cooper posted a pair of personal bests on the day, clinching first in the women’s shot put (12.64m (41′ 5.75″)) and fourth in the women’s discus (34.84m (114′ 4″)). Junior Megan Plummer took second in the women’s discus (38.28m (125′ 7″), PR) and fourth in the women’s shot put (11.72m (38′ 5.5″)). Sophomore Graysen Arnold posted a pair of third place finishes in the women’s discus (35.48m (116′ 5″)) and women’s shot put (12.01m (39′ 4.75″), PR)).

Freshman Nadiyah Byard made her debut in the women’s high jump, garnering gold with a clearance of 1.65m (5′ 5″). In the men’s high jump, junior Yates Hall recorded a clearance of 1.80m (5′ 10.75″), to tie for fourth.