GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The No. 7-ranked Southeastern men's track & field team and the No. 13-ranked women's squad opened competition Friday at the Alachua County Sports & Event Center Invitational/Multi, delivering an impressive first day marked by school records, national standards, and multiple top-five finishes. The meet concludes Saturday.
Day one was headlined by another impressive performance from Charlotte Cattermole-Williams, who continues to reset the standard in the weight throw. For the fourth consecutive meet, Cattermole-Williams broke her own school record, winning the event with a mark of 17.67 meters (57'11") on her final attempt. The throw met the NAIA 'A' standard, ranks No. 5 nationally, and sits atop the Sun Conference leaderboard.
The women's race walk group put together a dominant showing, led by
Ashlyn Poulin, who broke the SEU school record in the 3000m race walk with a time of 14:22.51. The performance met the NAIA 'A' standard and moved Poulin to No. 1 in the NAIA and the Sun Conference. Poulin now owns all five of the fastest times in school history.
Jocelyn Rivera added a runner-up finish with a time of 17:56.05, while
Tiarra Jackson (fourth) and
Juliet Leatherbarrow (fifth) rounded out a strong group effort that produced four top-five finishes.
On the men's side,
Kodi Quimby delivered a standout performance in the 3000m race walk, winning the event in 14:21.92. Quimby's time met the NAIA 'B' standard and currently ranks No. 4 nationally and No. 1 in the Sun Conference, continuing a strong early-season showing for the Fire men.
Distance standout
Jack Brooks continued his record-breaking weekend by setting a new SEU school record in the mile run, clocking 4:17.36. Despite finishing 12th overall in a deep field, Brooks' time ranks second in the Sun Conference and marked his second school record in as many events at the meet.
Sprints also produced a milestone performance, as
Olga Gomez broke the SEU school record in the 200m dash with a second-place finish in 24.37 seconds. The time met the NAIA 'A' standard and ranks third nationally, while also placing her second in the Sun Conference.
In the field events,
Jonathan Grant placed fourth in the pole vault, clearing 4.40 meters (14'5.25") to finish as the top NAIA athlete in the competition and rank second in the Sun Conference.
Emma Terry (fourth) and
MarieAnge Moussignac (fifth) recorded top-five finishes in the shot put, with Moussignac also earning a fifth-place finish in the weight throw earlier in the day.
Several Fire athletes narrowly missed the podium but delivered notable performances, including
Alyssa Morley in the long jump,
Aubrey Sellers in the pole vault,
George Clark in the triple jump, and
Jeremiah Rutledge in the high jump, each producing marks that rank among the program's best this season.
With multiple school records already falling and several athletes posting national-caliber marks, Southeastern heads into Saturday's final day of competition with momentum as the Fire continue to establish themselves early in the indoor season.
