JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Aron Long posted IC4A qualifying marks in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes, leading the VMI men's track and field team at the North Florida Invitational, contested Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla.
Long had the best day so far in this, his freshman season, opening with a 10.85 clocking in the 100 to place 10th. It was the fastest 100-meter time by a Keydet since 2010 (James Alexander), and Long backed it up in the 200, timing in at 21.78, the 12th-fastest time overall. In that race, he finished just .01 behind Rozzie Johnson of Charleston Southern, the longtime Big South sprint threat.
One of the other Keydet highlights of the day came in the long jump, where VMI placed three competitors in the top seven finishing positions.
Antonio Wood led the way with a runner-up result, stretching the tape to 6.89 meters (22'7 ¼”), while
Nate Gant was fifth with a best jump of 6.67 meters (21'10 ¾”).
Quincy Murphy rounded out the trio, jumping 6.58 meters (21'7 ¼”) to come home seventh.
The Keydets also put two in the top eight of both the high jump and the 5,000-meters. In the 5K,
Cabell Willis crossed the line second in 15:12.45, while
Hartnel Paultre was eighth in 15:29.86. The high jump saw
Avion Jones finish third (2.00 M/6'6 ¾”) and
Antonio Wood place eighth (1.90 M/6'2 ¾”).
The throwers also nabbed a pair of solid finishes, with
Joel Hoisington leading the way with a third-place result in the shot put. Hoisington logged a distance of 14.51 M/47'7 ¼”, while
Jordan White was seventh in the discus, hurling that implement 43.32 M/142'1”.
In other results,
Daniel DeNijs was fourth in his first career 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:19.73),
Jacob Lysher placed eighth in the 800-meter run (1:55.53) and
Avery Martin was ninth in the 1,500 (4:04.95). Finally,
Staton Mayfield cleared 4.35 M/14'3 ¼” to tie for seventh in the pole vault, an event in which ties were not broken.
VMI track and field will return to action Friday, taking part in the Liberty Invitational in Lynchburg, Va.
