TALLAHASSEE, Fla. / RALEIGH, N.C. – South Alabama Track & Field turned in another strong weekend across the Florida State Relays and Raleigh Relays, piling up event wins, top-five marks in program history, and more movement on the all-time list.
At the Florida State Relays, the Jaguars swept the pole vault competitions as Terek Logan cleared 5.08m (16-8) to win the men's title and Diana Goodman took the women's crown with a mark of 3.85m (12-7.5), continuing South Alabama's dominance in the event.
South Alabama added another victory in the vertical jumps at Florida State, where Jonathan Henderson claimed the men's high jump title with a clearance of 2.00m.
On the track, the Jaguars flashed their speed in a big way. The men's 4x400-meter relay team of Nieko Garnes, Marlon Miller, Alex Johnson, and Avery Childress placed second with a time of 3:11.24, the fourth-fastest mark in program history. Childress also posted a standout performance in the 400 meters, winning the event in 47.71, which ranks fourth all-time at South Alabama.
In the distance events, Emily Miles added her name to the record book by running 4:31.01 in the 1500 meters, good for the fourth-fastest time in school history. At the Raleigh Relays, Brady Keller also delivered a program top-five mark in the 1500m, clocking 3:43.65 to place 30th in a loaded field of 224 runners and move to No. 5 all-time.
The Jags continued to make noise in the field events as Samuel Mika finished third in the shot put with a mark of 16.98m (55-8.5), moving up to fifth in program history. South Alabama also saw another strong showing in the hurdles, where Nieko Garnes recorded a personal-best 51.83 in the 400m hurdles to finish third, a mark that ranks fifth all-time in school history.
In the throws, the Jaguars turned in a strong collective performance. Reuben Booysen placed third in the hammer throw with a mark of 60.51m, while Samuel Mika followed in fourth at 58.81m. On the women's side, Iyana Johnson earned a runner-up finish in the hammer with a throw of 58.74m, leading a group that saw three Jaguars finish among the top five. Ava Wheaton also continued her strong outdoor season with a runner-up finish in the javelin at 45.81m.
South Alabama added more strong performances on the track as Garnes led the men in the 400m hurdles with his third-place finish, while the Jaguars placed four athletes inside the top eight in the event. In the distance races, Blayton Bernard finished fourth, and Tyler Doty placed fifth in the men's 5000 meters, while Samantha Menikheim recorded a third-place finish in the women's 5000m.
On the women's side of the jumps, Kayden Engel cleared 1.67m to take runner-up honors in the high jump, then added a fifth-place finish in the 400m hurdles to cap a strong all-around weekend.
Up Next
South Alabama gears up for Sun Belt action as they send athletes to the Southern Miss Invitational and the Troy Invite on April 3-4.
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