The busy, but successful weekend continued for the Lenoir-Rhyne Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Teams as they competed in the Montreat Invitational, taking many top spots over the two-day meet.

On the track, Holly Kone had some great displays with a first-place finish in the women’s 400-meter dash (57.25) and a runner-up result in the women’s 200-meter sprint with a time of 25.96.

Damyja Ortiz also had some solid results in those respective races, coming in second in the women’s 400-meter event with a 58.76-second performance, and a fourth-place result in the women’s 200-meter dash with a 26.35-time. In addition, Lacey Triplett squeezed into the Top 10 with her time of 1:03.28 in the women’s 400-meter race.

Tonia Osaji secured a couple of 10th-place finishes in the women’s 100-meter sprint with a time of 12.90 seconds and the 200-meter dash with a 26.85 result.

In some other races on the track, Olivia Overholt finished in seventh place in the women’s 800-meter race with her 2:21:07 time. Meanwhile, Miranda Marr finished fifth in the women’s 100-meter hurdles after crossing the line in 16.55 seconds.

In the women’s 4×400-meter relay, the Bears manufactured a second-place finish with a time just under 10 minutes with a 9:58.98 performance.

Transitioning to the field, the women had several great finishes including the high jump competition that saw Destini Wilson (1.49m) and Marr (J1.49m) take second and third, respectively.

Although Triplett and Marr had some solid outings on the track, the pair registered Top 5 finishes in the women’s javelin throw with a second-place 33.16-meter toss from Triplett and a fifth-place 29.20-meter hurl from Marr. Savannah Nippa also recorded an eighth-place finish in the event by covering 27.04 meters with her throw.

Nippa took a ninth-place result in the women’s hammer throw with a 38.29-meter toss, but it was Olivia Jackson who had the best performance for LR with the second-best throw in the field with a 44.36-meter heave. Marlesia Walker took fifth place thanks to her 39.76-meter fling.

The competition that saw the most Bears finish in the Top 10 was the women’s pole vault with Pearl Ballard leading all LR members with 3.35-meter clearance for a third-place finish. Triplett (3.10m), Stacie Jorgensen (2.95m) and Melena Howell (xJ2.95m) had great showings as well with sixth, seventh and ninth place finishes, respectively.

Lastly in the women’s field, Sofia Ulanday finished fifth in the women’s triple jump by leaping 10.54 meters.

Flipping over to the men, Marcus Crumpler dominated the track with victories in the 200-meter dash and 400-meter race with 21.85 and 48.74 times, respectively.

Clarence McGill also a pair of solid finishes in those same races; his best result came with his 50.48-time in the 400-meter race while the freshman finished eighth in the 200-meter sprint with a 22.40 posting. Chris Neal recorded a third-place finish in the 400-meter race with a 49.98-time.

Tyler Schultz just missed out on the podium with a fourth-place finish in the men’s 110-meter hurdles after putting up a 15.54-second result.

Adding to the weekend to remember in relays, the men’s 4×800-meter relay team posted an 8:18.86-time to finish second place in the event.

Heading over to the field, Noah Rhodes and Josh Wise came out as winners in each event for the Bears. In the men’s pole vault, Rhodes took the top spot with a 4.30-meter clearance. While in the men’s javelin throw, Wise finished in first thanks to his 53.71-meter hurl.

For Philip Stomne and Oliver Thatcher, the two athletes finished in the Top 10 in both the men’s javelin throw and high jump competitions. Stomne (44.69m) had a better showing over Thatcher (40.55m) in the javelin throw as the two finished sixth and ninth, respectively. But in the high jump, Thatcher (J1.89m) finished a bit higher than Stomne (1.79m) in fifth place compared to Stomne’s seventh-place result.

In addition, the Lenoir-Rhyne Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Teams recorded three first-place finishes at the Raleigh Relays while breaking several program records along the way.

The men’s relay teams had a pair of dazzling displays including a first-place finish in the men’s 4×400-meter relay. The squad that had an unprecedented amount of success in the indoor season ran a 3:09.06 time, good enough for a school record.

The men also picked up a second-place result in men’s 4×100-meter relay with its 39.76 result. With that performance, LR now holds the No. 1 time in Division II in addition to recording another program record.

On the women’s side, the 4×100-meter relay also notched a Top 5 finish with a 45.86-time to record another school-best result. Despite fighting the rain, the squad was able to run the second-fastest time in Division II.

When it comes to individual accolades, Alexis Brown continues to tear up the competition in her freshman season.

The Mableton, Ga. native won the women’s 100-meter dash with a time of 11.41 seconds. The 2023 SAC Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year broke the school record with that time and recorded the fastest time in Division II.

To add to Brown’s weekend, she also earned a fifth-place finish in the women’s 200-meter dash with a 23.72 result, but it was the best Division II time in the event.

Dario Matau also had a spectacular weekend on the track as he won the men’s 200-meter dash with a time of 20.64 seconds. The sophomore also finished third in the men’s 100-meter sprint, as he bolted his way to 10.57-second finish.

In addition to Matau’s top spot finish in the men’s 200-meter dash, Jacob Wadsworth finished fourth in the event with a 21.20-time.

While many school records were shattered over the weekend, Lucas Besong recorded another program-best time in the men’s 800-meter race. The senior ran a 47.63-time to take an eighth-place finish.

The Lenoir-Rhyne Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Teams will be back in action next weekend as they travel back to High Point University for the Vertklasse Meeting. The two-day event is slated to begin on Friday, March 31.