SAN MARCOS, Tex. – Sophomore
Elliott Graves (Reidsville, N.C./Rockingham Early College) won the 400-meter hurdles for the second straight season to lead Appalachian State on the final day on the Sun Belt Outdoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by Texas State.
The Mountaineers, who entered the final day of competition in a tie for ninth place, moved up to finish fifth with 74 points. Arkansas State claimed the conference title with 159 points.
Graves appeared to stumble over one of the last hurdles but was able to regain his balance. He then used a late surge to win the title in a season-best 51.37 seconds, which was just .04 ahead of the second-place finisher.
"I was kind of nervous coming into the event because I won it last year," remarked Graves. "I run my races a little untraditional. I go slower than most in the first half and then kick it into gear around the 200-meter mark. I hit hurdle number nine pretty bad but was able to grind to finish."
Graves also finished seventh in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.23 seconds.
In the triple jump, senior
Isaiah Relliford (Winston-Salem, N.C./White Oak) posted a PR and earned All-Sun Belt honors with a second place finish, covering 49-5.00.
Senior
Ryan Hastings (Matthews, N.C./Porter Ridge) posted a second-place finish for All-Sun Belt accolades in the 800-meter run in a season-best time of 1:49.22. He has now earned All-Sun Belt honors in the outdoor 800-meter run in all four seasons, including back-to-back second place finishes.
In the high jump, sophomore
Jordan Dale (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) earned his first outdoor All-Sun Belt honor with a third-place finish, clearing a PR height of 6-8.25.
Junior
Tristian Shaver (Thomasville, N.C./Ledford) posted an All-Sun Belt accolade with a new PR in the pole vault, clearing 16-7.50. The mark also sits third in program history.
"We are very pleased with how the men competed on Sunday," said Director of Track & Field
John Weaver, who will retire in June and has served as the director of the men's program since 1995. "To move up four spots shows we are getting the right athletes and we will continue to get more of them. It will be a very exciting future for our men's program."
A school record fell on Sunday as sophomore
Jabari Johnson (Yokosuka, Japan/Nile C. Kinnick) posted a time of 20.70 seconds in the 200-meter dash, bettering the previous mark of 20.73 set by Dennis Moore in 2011. The time placed Johnson fifth in the race.
In the 100-meter dash, sophomore
Jalen Virgil (Lawrenceville, Ga./Mountain View) claimed fourth place with a time of 10.33 seconds. In prelim action on Saturday, Virgil crossed the finish line in 10.29 seconds, which was the second fastest time in the event in program history.
The 4x400-meter relay team of junior
Brandon Smith (Fayetteville, N.C./Douglas Byrd), Hastings, Graves and Johnson finished fourth in 3:11.55.
Sophomore
Michael Flanagan (Landenberg, Pa./Tatnall School) and freshman
Ben Cignarale (Greer, S.C./Riverside) finished fifth and sixth in the 5,000-meter run in 15:08.93 and 15:16.75, respectively. Cignarale's time represents a new PR.
Also, in the high jump, senior
Hampton Harvin (Mt. Pleasant, S.C./Wando) finished in a tie for fifth with a PR mark of 6-6.25 and senior
Nick Hinton (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West) was right behind in seventh, also setting a PR with a mark of 6-6.25.
Virgil, Graves and Johnson teamed up with freshman
Brenton Ervin (Charlotte, N.C./Mallard Creek) for a seventh-place finish in the 4x100-meter relay in 40.53 seconds.
The pole vault also saw junior
Michael Utecht (New Hill, N.C./Apex) finish in a tie for seventh with a new PR height of 16-1.75. His mark was good for fifth in program history. Sophomore
Jackson Widener (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Country Day) also set a new PR in the event, clearing 15-7.75.
In the 1,500-meter run, senior
Evan Georges (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Catholic) made a late pass down the home stretch to nab eighth place in 4:01.69 and freshman
Sean Doyle (Rutherfordton, N.C./Polk County) also notched an eighth-place finish in the 800-meter run in 1:58.07.
Freshman
Luke Bennett (Durham, N.C./Voyager Academy) recorded an eighth-place finish in the 10,000-meter run on Friday evening in 33:13.71 and freshman
Lawson Benfield (Apex, N.C./Apex) crossed eighth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Saturday evening, with a time of 9:41.13.
"I feel like I am leaving the program in great hands," added Weaver. "The program will continue to mature, grow and build on its strong tradition."
Final Standings
1. Arkansas State, 159
2. Texas State, 131
3. UT Arlington, 109
4. Troy, 82.5
5. Appalachian State, 74
6. Coastal Carolina, 68
t7. UL Monroe, 61
t7. South Alabama, 61
9. Louisiana, 60.5
10. Little Rock, 13
