CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Donovan Walton finished third in the javelin, while Andrew Arlint and Bria Anderson earned top-five finishes in their respective events as the VMI track and field teams opened competition at the 2018 SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Championships Thursday in Cullowhee, N.C. After day one, the VMI men rank sixth in the team standings while the women's squad is ninth.
Walton had the top Keydet finish of the day, as he hurled the javelin 55.91 meters (183'5") to earn a podium finish and improve on the personal best he set just over a week ago.
Arlint, meanwhile, was one of two Keydets to score in the pole vault with a 4.75 meter (15'7") clearance that earned him a fourth-place finish. It was a new personal best and the fifth-highest mark in school history for the junior, while freshman Griffin Kowal was seventh at 4.30 M/14'1 1/4".
Anderson led the women's team in Thursday's finals, placing fourth in the long jump with a 5.77 M/18'11 3/4" effort.
"Donovan Walton has been one of our headliners all year, and that continued today," said VMI head coach Darrin Webb. "We had other good results as well and saw a number of qualifiers to tomorrow's finals. We look forward to more strong efforts on the final day of competition."
Among those qualifiers to Friday's finals were Jahanzib Shahbaz and Josh Willard, who finished second and third in the prelims of the 800. Shahbaz timed in at 1:54.51, while Willard clocked in at 1:54.56. Lee Warren was the #4 qualifier to the 110-meter hurdle finals (14.66) and Andrew Gould advanced to the 400-meter finals with a 49.78 time.
On the women's side, Kerisha Goode finished fifth in both of her events, crossing the line in 12.10 seconds in the 100 and 24.69 in the 200. Ariana Ruffin advanced to the 400 finals as well, with a 57.65 effort for a new personal best and the second-fastest time in school history.
The final day of the 2018 SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Championships begins Friday at 11:15 a.m.
Men's results – Day 1
1. Samford – 67 points
2. ETSU – 53
3. Western Carolina – 41
4. The Citadel – 34
5. Furman – 16
6. VMI – 13
T7. Wofford – 5
T7. UNCG – 5
Women's results – Day 1
1. Samford – 62 points
2. Western Carolina – 48
3. Furman – 41
4. ETSU – 22
5. The Citadel – 19
6. Wofford – 14
7. Mercer 13
8. Chattanooga – 7
9. VMI – 5
10. UNCG – 3
Men's All-Freshman – Day 1
Pole vault
Sam Blumer, The Citadel
Griffin Kowal, VMI
Lindsay Pierce, The Citadel
3,000-meter steeplechase
Ben Garner, Samford
Kellen Reeves, VMI
Stephen Wolf, VMI
