VMI Athletics

Scoreboard

Men's Track and Field 5/11/2026 9:17:00 PM

Thomas wins pole vault on first day at SoCon Outdoor Championships

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Highlighted by junior Cameron Thomas' first-place finish in the pole vault, the VMI men's track and field team is off to a strong start at the 2026 Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field hosted by Western Carolina in Cullowhee, North Carolina.

Complete Results

Thomas won the pole vault with a height of 4.90 meters, or 16' 0.75", to showcase VMI's efforts to begin the conference championship. The first-place mark also gives the Windsor, Colorado, native All-Conference honors in the event for a third straight season.

Day One Stars
* Sophomore Rye Jackson qualified for Tuesday's final in the 400 meter by placing fourth overall in the prelims in 48.83 seconds
*Zachary Denton came in fourth in the long jump with a season-best distance of 7.07 meters
*In the 110m hurdles prelims, freshman Deonte Harris placed sixth with a personal-best time of 14.95 seconds to qualify for Tuesday's final round

Great Finishes
*Sophomore Camden Gonzales placed eighth in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 10:03.99. He was followed by freshman Timothy Renquiest in ninth (10:10.52) and Colin Crenshaw in 10th (10:12.32)
*Senior Isaiah Blount came in 12th place in the javelin throw at 41.41 meters
*Tazewell Rae showed well in the hammer throw with a 14th-place distance of 40.71m

VMI Director of Track and Field Zack Scott
"Our men did a great job setting the tone early today. Cameron Thomas getting the conference title in the pole vault was a huge way to start the meet, and Zach Denton and Camden Gonzales continued to build momentum with valuable team points. On the track, Deonte Harris' 110m hurdles and Rye Jackson in the 400m put themselves in strong positions heading into finals, and we have a hungry group ready to compete tomorrow. We know there's still a lot of meet left, but I'm excited about where this team stands heading into day two."

Up Next
The Keydets begin with the field events Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. with the men's discus throw. The championship running events will begin at 2 p.m. with the men's 4 x 100 relay.

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Players Mentioned

Isaiah Blount: Multi; Senior

Colin Crenshaw: Distance; Sophomore

Zachary Denton: Sprints; Sophomore

Cameron Thomas: Pole Vault; Sophomore

Camden Gonzales: Distance; Freshman

Rye Jackson: Distance; Freshman

Tazewell Rae: Throws; Freshman

Deonte Harris: Jumps/Sprints; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Isaiah Blount
: Senior
: Multi

Colin Crenshaw
: Sophomore
: Distance

Zachary Denton
: Sophomore
: Sprints

Cameron Thomas
: Sophomore
: Pole Vault

Camden Gonzales
: Freshman
: Distance

Rye Jackson
: Freshman
: Distance

Tazewell Rae
: Freshman
: Throws

Deonte Harris
: Freshman
: Jumps/Sprints