WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.- Appalachian State University men's track and field wasted no time starting off its 2011 outdoor campaign on the right foot, as the Mountaineers recorded many impressive performances on the first day of the Wake Forest Invitational.

Darius Purcell continued to assert his talent in the high jump, as the junior finished first in the event, with a jump of 6-11. The 6-11 mark ties his outdoor personal best and keeps him at sixth on ASU's all-time list in the event.

In the other section of the high jump, Stephen Davis recorded a leap of 6-3.25 while Josh Hogg notched a jump of 5-11.25.

Hurdlers AJ Dohanic and Trey Jones both performed fast enough in the 110m hurdles to earn a spot in the finals of the event Saturday.

Dohanic recorded a time of 14.64 in the event, while Trey Jones finished the race with a time of 15.30.

Senior Jake Goodchild was the lone App to run the 400m dash, as he came in 44th with a time of 51.15.

Malcolm Styers led the way for the Mountaineers in the men's hammer throw.

Styers grabbed a fourth place finish in the event with a throw of 188-11, while Tim Daly came in fifth with a toss of 183-4. Jerod Gardner was also able to sneak into the top 10 finishers of the event, as he came in ninth, recording a throw of 171-2.

Caleb Poplin and Zane Lail posted 23rd and 29th place finishes.

Freshman Jamal Tiller came in first in the triple jump, leaping 48-0.75 to capture the first place finish. Patrick Hill also competed in the triple jump, leaping 41-10.5.

Four Apps qualified for Saturday's finals in the 100m dash with Landon Powell leading the way.

Powell ran the race in a time of 10.71, fourth overall, with Justin Thomas coming in eighth in the preliminary round with a mark of 10.79 and Dennis Moore and TJ Lockard placing 10th and 16th.

Seven Mountaineers raced in the 800m run, with five finishing in the top 50 of the event. Bud Galloway had the best showing, recording a 14th place finish with a time of 1:55.89.

Andrew Yarchin, Nick Kelly, Sean Soderman and Read Caulkins took the 16th, 20th, 26th and 45th place spots.

Nick Carter and Josh Jirgal also competed, placing 77th and 88th overall.

In the final two throwing events of the day, Goodchild and Poplin grabbed the 31st and 36th place finishes in the javelin, with throws of 154-4 and 125-4.

Styers, Gardner and Jacob Lane also closed out the first day of competition strong with ninth, tenth and 11th finishes in the shot put.

Styers posted a mark of 51-6.25 in the event, Gardner 51-3.75 and Lane 50-11.

The Mountaineers look to continuing their impressive outing as they wrap up the Wake Forest Invitational, tomorrow, Saturday, March 19.