GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Fire have prepared for this weekend all indoor season. Behind a combined nine first-place finishes, Southeastern University leads both the men's and women's sides of the team standings after the first day of the Sun Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Davien Woods and Irmiris Mendez highlighted the Fire's Friday efforts with first places in both the 400 and 200-meter Dash events for the men and women. In the 3000-meter Run Walk, both Ashlyn Poulin and T.J. Sanders not only won their respective races, but they also set the new Sun Conference record-breaking times in the process.
In the team standings, SEU holds a 40.50-point lead over St. Thomas for the top spot with 142.50 over 102 points. For the women, SEU leads St. Thomas by a wider margin, 120-74, for first with both Ave Maria and SCAD Savannah right behind with 64 points apiece.
The Fire men won four events, added five second places and four thirds. SEU garnered the top two spots in two events and the top three placings in two others. The SEU women won five events, had one second and five third places.
Leading the men, both Woods and James Williamson III broke teammate Joseph Taylor's Sun Conference 200-meter record set in 2023 of 21.43. Woods and Williamson ran neck-and-neck in a blazing 21.22 and 21.25. Taylor came across the line in third with a solid 21.60 time.
Earlier in the day, Woods claimed his first top place with a winning time of 47.78 in the 400-meter dash, 0.17 seconds better than teammate Taylor (47.95).
Sanders made his own personal mark, again. Sanders recorded not only a 3000-meter Race Walk time of 13:59.19, but the time was good enough to set a new facility and Sun Conference standard, besting his own previous mark of 14.14.84 facility and 14.37.92 Conference marks. Kodi Quimby also broke the former Sun Conference record with a finish of 14:35.73 in second place.
In the men's field, SEU went 1-2-3 in the pole vault with Jonathan Grant and Chase Graziadei at 4.60 meters in first and second, while Kevin Parker was third (4.45m).
Jeremiah Rutledge leaped to second in the high jump in 1.98 meters, while Isaiah Burns took third (1.83 meters).
The SEU men's 4000 Distance Medley Relay (Michael McDow, Zakaiel Crawford, Nathan Duncan, Jordan Hierholzer, Ethan Campbell, Durbin, Tobias Dickerson and Don Salomon) was the final top three finish in third (10:55.16).
For the women, Mendez set a new Sun Conference standard when she won the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.24 seconds. She added a second top placing with the time of 24.69 seconds in the 200-meter dash.
Like Sanders for the men, Poulin bested her own Sun Conference record time she set last year (15:05.32) in the 3000-meter Race Walk by 29 seconds with a winning time of 14:36.21. Her teammates, Marlee Irvin and Joselyn Rivera were second (16:21.74) and third (17:20.55).
In the 800-meter run, Maci Mills notched the final SEU first with a 2:12.53.
Emma Terry captured the lone field event first place with a 12.12-meter throw in the shot put, while MarieAnge Moussignac had the third best distance of 11.69m.
Alyssa Morley was the third-best finisher in both the high jump (1.52m) and long jump (5.42m).
Completing the top third placings, SEU's 4000-meter distance medley relay team ran 13:49.57 comprised of Jaa'Ln McBride, Amari Graham, Riley McKinney, Sophie Robinson, Jaade McBride, Jillian Blaser, Maci Mills and Grace Feder.
The SEU teams will look to clinch the team titles at the second day of the Championships on Saturday (Feb. 15).
Other Scoring Friday Fire Team Members
Men:
400 Dash
7 – Malik Blunt (49.49)
8 – Phillip Clarke (50.09)
5000 Run
7 – Joshua Shields (15:54.00)
8 – Nathan Evans (16:15.47)
800 Run
6 – Ethan Campbell (1:56.65)
3000 Race Walk
4 – Spencer Louis (17:47.86)
6 – Tyler Moody (20:05.69)
8 – Emilio Ancaya (20:33.25)
200 Dash
5 – Blunt (21.85)
6 – Cameron Alamia (21.92)
8 – Kevin Davis Jr. (22.20)
Pole Vault
8 – Jeremiah Stewart (3.25m)
Shot Put
5 – Cody Rand (13.44m)
7 – Lucky Baldwin (12.58m)
Long Jump
4 – Dario Laing (6.65m)
8 – Jeremiah Rutledge (6.48m)
Women:
5000 Run
5 – Jadyn DeVerna (18:46.31)
8 – Ashlin Price (19:06.60)
800 Run
5 – Jillian Blaser (2:21.16)
3000 Race Walk
5 – Tiarra Jackson (20:15.82)
High Jump
5 – Jessica Brown (1.42m)
Long Jump
5 – Emily Powelson (5.15m)
