BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –
De'Shawn Ballard broke his own school record in the 200-meter dash to lead App State men's track & field on the final day of the Sun Belt Championships in Birmingham, Ala.
The Mountaineers finished sixth of eight teams with 60 points. Arkansas State claimed the team title with 146 points, UT Arlington was second with 130 points and Texas State rounded out the top-three with 95 points.
Ballard broke the school record in the 200-meter dash at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic earlier this season with a time of 21.18 seconds. He then crossed in 21.16 seconds on Tuesday to earn Second Team All-Sun Belt honors and top his school record. Ballard also placed seventh in the 60-meter dash in 6.95 seconds.
Isaac Benz earned a pair of all-conference honors for App State. He was named Second Team All-Sun Belt in the 3,000-meter run after crossing second in a PR mark of 8:24.55. His time also ranks 10th in program history. Benz also earned Third Team All-Sun Belt honors in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14:39.89, which moves him into seventh place in program history.
Ryan Brown garnered in Third Team All-Sun Belt honors in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:25.40. He was also sixth in the 5,000-meter run, crossing in 14:45.01.
Competing in his first ever Sun Championships,
Eric Haddock Jr. earned Third Team All-Sun Belt accolades with a third-place finish and PR mark of 50-8.00 (15.44m) in the triple jump. Haddock Jr.'s mark also ranks ninth all-time in the triple jump in program history. He also placed seventh in the long jump with a mark of 23-8.75 (7.08m).
Jabari Johnson scored points for App State in a pair of events. Johnson finished fourth in the 60-meter dash in 6.89 seconds and was sixth in the 200-meter dash in 21.66 seconds. In preliminary action on Monday, Johnson crossed the finish line in the 60-meter dash in 6.85 seconds, which is tied for the eighth fastest time in program history.
In the DMR, the team of
Zachary Mercer,
Mitchell Harris,
Sean Doyle and
Ethan Barber recorded a fifth-place finish with a time of 10:31.20.
Ballard, Johnson and Harris teamed with
Dylan Blankenship for a seventh place finish in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:35.91.
Oliver Wilson-Cook also scored points for the Mountaineers in the 5,000-meter run, finishing eighth in 14:50.29.
App State will now shift its attention to the outdoor season, which begins on Mar. 19 with the 49er Classic.
Team Standings
1. Arkansas State, 146
2. UT Arlington, 130
3. Texas State, 95
4. Louisiana, 87.5
5. South Alabama, 73
6. App State, 60
7. ULM, 39.5
8. Little Rock, 30
