CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Jahanzib Shahbaz won the men's 800-meters, leading VMI track and field's efforts on the final day of the SoCon Championships, contested Friday in Cullowhee, N.C. Both the men's and women's teams finished seventh in the final team standings.
Shahbaz stood atop the podium for the 800 after clocking in at 1:53.71, just ahead of teammate Josh Willard's runner-up effort of 1:54.25. Also earning all-conference honors on the men's side was Lee Warren, who wrapped up his Keydet career with a third-place finish in the 110 hurdles (14.46). In addition, Andrew Gould finished sixth in the 400 (49.98).
Other scoring performances in the men's event came in the relays, where both the 4X1 and 4X4 finished fifth. John Collins, Gould, James Granderson and Caleb Minus crossed the line in 42.92 in the former, while Gould, Willard, Collins and Jackson Betts recorded a 3:25.72 effort in the latter.
On the women's side, Tiffany Quick delivered the top finish of the day with a runner-up effort in the discus (43.38 M/142'4"), a few spots ahead of Maura Logan's sixth-place effort (39.45 M/129'5").
Kerisha Goode earned a pair of top-five finishes, highlighted by an all-conference effort in the 200, where she finished third in 24.51. Goode was also fourth in the 100 in 11.96.
Julia Logan also earned an all-conference finish, placing third in the high jump (1.63 M/5'4 1/4"), and Sarah Leckman was fourth in the shot put (13.08 M/42'11").
In the open 400, Ariana Ruffin was seventh in the 400 (57.63) and was also part of the seventh-place finish in the 4X4, where she teamed with Logan, Christina Hill and Julianne Knoblett for a 3:59.45 time.
Finally, Ruffin, Goode, Bria Anderson and Mia McClain were fifth in the 4X1 (47.11).
"I am proud of this group, as both the men and women have trained and competed hard all year," said VMI head coach Darrin Webb. "Congratulations go out to Jahanzib Shahbaz for his first conference title, and going 1-2 in the men's 800 was exciting. On the women's side, there were many great accomplishments, highlighted by Kerisha Goode scoring in three events and Tiffany Quick's second-place finish in the discus. Finally, we appreciate our senior class' efforts, leadership and hard work over the past four years."
Men's results – Final
1. Western Carolina – 214 points
2. Samford – 169
3. ETSU – 122
4. The Citadel – 110
5. Wofford – 73
6. Furman – 71
7. VMI – 48
8. UNCG – 9
Women's results – Final
1. Western Carolina – 193 points
2. Samford – 161
3. ETSU – 129
4. Furman – 120
5. Wofford – 74
6. Mercer – 49
7. VMI – 46
8. The Citadel – 30
9. Chattanooga – 11
10. UNCG – 6
Men's All-Freshman – Day 2
200-meter dash
Karon Delince, ETSU
John Collins, VMI
Timiebi Ogobri, The Citadel
5,000-meter run
Ben Garner, Samford
Ewan Hynes, UNCG
Jake Mazziotta, VMI
Women's All-Freshman – Day 2
400-meter dash
Dominique Delisser, Western Carolina
Aliyah Hill, ETSU
Ariana Ruffin, VMI
Shot put
Symphony Buxton, ETSU
Sarah Leckman, VMI
Lesleigh Tabor, Western Carolina
5,000-meter run
Reilly Caldwell, Furman
Abbey Zane, Samford
Anna Armfield, VMI
