midgett, male - 2024 socon championships
Todd Drexler/SoConPhotos

Men's Track and Field

Keydets in first after Day One at SoCon Championships

Three individual champions crowned to lead Keydets in race for team title

SoCon Day 1 Field Results  |  SoCon Day 1 Track Results | Day 1 Gallery
 
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The VMI men's track and field team is off to an incredible start to the 2024 Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships as the Keydets sit in first place after the first of two days of competition at Samford's Shauna Yelton Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
 
VMI is currently in first place with 56 team points with Furman close behind in second with 48 points. Western Carolina and Samford are knotted in third with 42 points apiece.
 
Individual Champions and All-SoCon Honors
*Senior Keyandre Midgett won the individual title in the long jump by placing first with a distance of 7.36 meters (24' 1.75") to earn All-SoCon honors
*For the second year in a row, senior Andrew Granger took the crown in the hammer throw at 56.03m (183' 10") for All-SoCon honors
*Freshman Cameron Thomas won the pole vault individual title with a first-place height of 4.95 meters (16' 2.75") for All-SoCon recognition
*Charles Male earned All-SoCon honors in the long jump by taking the podium in second place at 7.18 meters, or 23' 6.75".
*Also competing in the decathlon, Isaiah Blount took a break from the multis to compete in the pole vault and earned All-SoCon honors doing so with a third-place height of 4.65m, or 15' 3".
*Freshman thrower Rafe Clendenin earned All-SoCon honors in the hammer alongside Granger by placing third overall at 50.32m, or 165' 1", a new personal record distance   
 
Excellent Performances
*Freshman Zachary Denton took fourth in the long jump at 6.84 meters (22' 5.25"), just narrowly missing All-SoCon honors
*Senior Nick Brown qualified for the 400m finals by placing first overall in the prelims in 47.85 seconds
*Blount is presently in third in the decathlon with 3,504 points after five events. He took first in the shot put with a PR distance of 12.87 meters, or 42' 2.75."
*Senior Patrick Kiernan placed eighth in the 10,000m with a time of 33:49.45 to earn a team point
*Ben Hagerich came in eighth in the 800 meter prelims in 1:54.66, missing the qualifying cut by one runner
*Freshman Jacob Garnett earned fifth place in the 200m prelims in 21.28 to qualify for the finals, while Nick Brown also qualified with a ninth-place time of 21.68.
*Andrew Hirneisen came in ninth in the steeplechase in 10:17.94 and was pursued by Colin Crenshaw in 10th in 11:39.82
 
Up Next
The SoCon Championships resume Tuesday with the continuation of the decathlon at 11 a.m. and the heptathlon at 11:15. Day two will air on ESPN+ starting at 4:00 p.m. EDT.
 
Day 1 Team Standings
1 – VMI – 56 points
2 – Furman – 48 points
3 – W. Carolina – 42 points
3 – Samford – 42 points
5 – ETSU – 16 points
6 – The Citadel – 15 points
7 – UNCG – 6 points
8 – Wofford – 3 points
 
VMI Director of Track and Field Zack Scott
"It's been a long, hard fight for our VMI Men's Track and Field team. The first scoring event for the Keydets was the hammer throw as Southern Conference champion Andrew Granger stood at the top of the podium for a second year back to back. He was followed up by freshman Rafe Clendenin's PR throw for third place. Then our men just kept competing: Thomas Cameron took first in the pole and close behind in third place was Isaiah Blount.
 
"Keyandre Midgett was the long jump champ with Charles Male close behind in second. Freshman Zachary Denton took fourth place down until the last event of the night, the 10,000m, when walk-on Patrick Kiernan finished 8th scoring a team point.
 
"There are no words that can be said to express how hard and what it took for our men to focus and get it done. Sitting strong at first place on day one of two with final exams waiting on Wednesday for their return to the "I". It's just another week as a cadet-athlete at VMI. Day two starts with Isaiah Blount in the Decathlon discus throw and Rafe Clendenin in the shot put."
 
Day 1 champions
Men: Hammer throw Andrew Granger, VMI (56.03 meters); long jump Keyandre Midgett, VMI (7.36 meters); pole vault Cameron Thomas, VMI (4.95 meters); javelin Kyle Kaufelds, Samford (62.40 meters); 3,000-meter steeplechase Cameron Ponder, Furman (8:52.32); 10,000-meter run Owen Shifflett (30:57.53).
 
Women: Hammer throw Hannah Daffin, Samford (51.50 meters); long jump Ellison Chadwick (5.90 meters); pole vault Diana Romero-Barba, ETSU (3.70 meters); javelin Ali Ruffin, The Citadel (47.44 meters); 3,000-meter steeplechase Nicole Matysik, Furman (10:40.45); 10,000-meter run Lillian Feingold, Furman (36:55.66).
 
Men's All-Freshman – Day 1
Men's hammer throw
Brent Bell, ETSU
Rafe Clendenin, VMI
Austin Ramires, Western Carolina

Men's long jump
Zachary Denton, VMI
David Dorbin, Western Carolina
Jordan Chestnut, The Citadel
 
Men's pole vault
Cameron Thomas, VMI
Jack Scott, The Citadel
 
Men's javelin
Kyle Kaufelds, Samford
Michael Kolen, Samford
Arthur Parham, The Citadel
 
Men's 3,000-meter steeplechase
Colton Kempney, Furman
Lawson Mecom, Western Carolina
William Murray, Samford
 
Men's 10,000-meter run
Owen Shifflett, Furman
 
Women's All-Freshman – Day 1
Women's hammer throw
Hailee Jackson-Morgan, Western Carolina
Tyla Nicholson, ETSU

Women's long jump
Ellison Chadwick, Samford
Heidi Hudson, Western Carolina
Eliza Ruch, ETSU
 
Women's pole vault
Antonina Tereshenko, Samford
Libby Jackson, Samford
Bella Hilleary, Western Carolina
 
Women's javelin
Jasmine Hampton, Samford
Heidi Hudson, Western Carolina
 
Women's 3,000-meter steeplechase
Peyton Skoglund, Western Carolina
 
10,000-meter run
Lillian Feingold, Furman
Katherin Hopkins, Western Carolina
 
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Tuesday VMI Men's Track and Field Lineup
 
Tue, 2:15 pm
Men's High Jump Open:
   Larvie, Christian
 
Tue, 2:15 pm
Men's Shot Put Open:
   Clendenin, Rafe
 
Tue, 3 pm
Men's Triple Jump Open:
   Male, Charles
   Midgett, Keyandre
 
Tuesday 4 pm
Men's 4 x 100m  Relay Open:
  (Male,McBride,Midgett,Garnett,Wilks,Brown)
 
Tuesday, 4:20 pm
Men's 1,500m  Run Open:
   Lowry, Patrick
 
Tue, 4:30 pm
Men's Discus Throw Open:
   Blount, Isaiah
   Clendenin, Rafe
   Granger, Andrew
 
Tuesday, 4:40 pm
Men's 110m  Hurdles Open:
   McBride, Liam
   Topos, Xander
 
Tuesday, 6 pm
Men's 400m  Hurdles Open:
   Topos, Xander
 
 
Tuesday, 6:40 pm
Men's 5,000m  Run Open:
   Shank, Kevin
 
Tue, 7:25 pm
Men's 4 x 400m  Relay Open:
 (Edwards,Brown,Wilks,Topos,Garnett,Blount,Hagerich)
 
 
 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Isaiah Blount

Isaiah Blount

Multi
Sophomore
Nick Brown

Nick Brown

Sprints/Relays
Sophomore
Andrew Granger

Andrew Granger

Throws
Junior
Andrew Hirneisen

Andrew Hirneisen

Distance
Junior
Patrick Kiernan

Patrick Kiernan

Distance
Sophomore
Charles Male

Charles Male

Jumps
Sophomore
Keyandre Midgett

Keyandre Midgett

Hurdles-Jumps-Sprints
Junior
Ben Hagerich

Ben Hagerich

Distance
Freshman
Rafe Clendenin

Rafe Clendenin

Throws
Freshman
Colin Crenshaw

Colin Crenshaw

Distance
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Isaiah Blount

Isaiah Blount

Sophomore
Multi
Nick Brown

Nick Brown

Sophomore
Sprints/Relays
Andrew Granger

Andrew Granger

Junior
Throws
Andrew Hirneisen

Andrew Hirneisen

Junior
Distance
Patrick Kiernan

Patrick Kiernan

Sophomore
Distance
Charles Male

Charles Male

Sophomore
Jumps
Keyandre Midgett

Keyandre Midgett

Junior
Hurdles-Jumps-Sprints
Ben Hagerich

Ben Hagerich

Freshman
Distance
Rafe Clendenin

Rafe Clendenin

Freshman
Throws
Colin Crenshaw

Colin Crenshaw

Freshman
Distance