SAN MARCOS, Tex. -- Freshman
Luke Bennett (Durham, N.C./Voyager Academy) finished in eighth place in the 10,000-meter run and sophomore
Jabari Johnson (Yokosuka, Japan/Nile C. Kinnick) continued to climb the Appalachian State record books in the 200-meter dash on Day 1 of the Sun Belt Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
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The Mountaineers sit ninth overall with one point through three scored events. UL Monroe owns the team lead after the first day of competition with 21 points, Louisiana is second with 19 points and South Alabama sits third with 18 points.
Bennett turned in a time of 33:13.71 in the 10,000-meter run, finishing six second shy of seventh place.
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In the 200-meter prelims, Johnson finished second in his heat and fifth overall with a time of 20.89 seconds, which qualifies him for Sunday's finals. Johnson, who entered the meet with the sixth fastest time in program history in the event (21.07 seconds), climbs up to second all-time in program history with his new marl. He also is just the third player to run the 200-meter dash in under 21 seconds in program history.
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In other preliminary action, senior
Evan Georges (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Country Day) punched his ticket to the finals on Sunday in the 1,500-meter run with a 11th place finish and a time of 4:01.23. Sophomore
Elliott Graves (Reidsville, N.C./Rockingham Early College), who is the reigning outdoor champion in the 400-meter hurdles, qualified for Sunday's finals in the event, with a fourth-place finish in 52.26 seconds.
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Day 2 of the championships will begin with the decathlon at 10 a.m. EST. Field events will begin at 1 p.m. EST, with running events set for a 7:30 p.m. EST start. A portion of the meet will be broadcast on ESPN3, beginning at 8:30 p.m. EST.
Team Standings
1. UL Monroe, 21
2. Louisiana, 19
3. South Alabama, 18
4. Troy, 16
5. UT Arlington, 14
6. Texas State, 12
7. Arkansas State, 10
8. Coastal Carolina, 6
9. Appalachian State, 1
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