Winston-Salem, NC - On Friday afternoon, the JDL Fast Track provided the Southern Virginia University men's and women's track and field teams with another year of top marks and conference championships. Both teams left North Carolina as back-to-back USA South Indoor team champions, helping them remain undefeated in championship meets since joining the conference four seasons ago.

In the men's portion of the meet, eyes were on the live results all day long as several teams were vying for the overall team title. Ultimately, the Knights emerged victorious by a thirty point margin ahead of Pfeiffer, last year's runner-up as well. On the women's side, Southern Virginia was in control from beginning to end as they clinched the championship by a whopping 90 points. Several athletes doubled-up, even tripled-up on events and produced massive points. In the aftermath of collecting titles thirteen and fourteen while at the helm, Head Coach Kyle Chandler was named USA South Coach of the Year for both men's and women's teams.

Men's Results

In what became an extremely competitive environment from start to finish, the men's title chase became a three-horse race between Southern Virginia, Pfeiffer, and Methodist. Pfeiffer was coming off a men's cross country championship in the fall and was motivated to become a perfect two-for-two in team titles this year. However, the Knights used their depth in each event area as a supreme advantage while also racking up individual victories.

As has become typical, Southern Virginia reigned supreme in the distance events, capturing first in each event with the exception of the distance medley relay. To open the meet, the duo of Dylan May and Kedryn Chandler ran away from the field in the latter stages of the 5K to collect a one-two finish for the second consecutive year. May later combined with Joseph Hughes to sweep the 3K and remains the only victor of those two events in two seasons.

Speaking of Hughes, a masterclass in the 800m and mile also gave him two individual titles on the day. He set two meet records in the process. Not to be outshined, the field events also produced a massive amount of points and gave the Knights three more individual crowns. Jayton Hall (High Jump), McCormick Johnson (Pole Vault), and Spike Adams (Weight Throw) all won their events. Adams' performance in the weight throw was particularly impressive, considering he was not expected to contend for the individual title. His best mark was a personal best by over a meter and a half.

Women's Results

While the final scores hint that the victory came easy for the women of Southern Virginia, it doesn't tell the whole story. With a much smaller roster than in years past, each athlete played a vital role in continuing the Knights streak of USA South titles. Bayleigh Redd, who's no stranger to success at the indoor championships, claimed gold in the 5K and 3K, running meet records in both. Her cohort, Heidi Barton, had a wildly successful double in her own right by competing in the mile and 800 meters. She finished second place in both while obliterating the program record in the mile with a time of 5:09.63, cementing herself as one of the premier middle distance runners in the region. 

In the field events, Surraiya Mahmud continued her historic freshman campaign by winning the pole vault and finishing second in the shot put to earn Rookie Field Athlete of the Meet. She's been one of the most versatile athletes in the conference and will be a huge asset for the Knights during the outdoor season as potentially more field events are added to her plate. Marin Simons, another rookie sensation, broke her personal best and the program record for the second meet in a row in the high jump. She cleared a height of 1.60 meters (5' 3") on her third attempt to clinch her first collegiate individual title.

Mikki Prows had perhaps the most impressive day for the Knights by competing in three events, posting personal bests in two of them, and not finishing worse than fourth place. She also broke through the previous school record in the high jump, equaling Simon's mark of 1.60 meters (5' 3") but falling to second place by having one more failed attempt at 1.55m. Her mark of 12.57 meters in the weight throw was far and away a personal best and put her on the podium for the second time.

Folole Torres held down the fort in the sprints, putting together exceptional performances against some of the best sprinters in the country. Torres teamed with Shandrey Allman to sweep the 60m hurdles, winning the event in a personal best and program record time of 9.37 seconds. She also posted third place finishes in the 60m dash and 200m, giving her hardware for three different events on the day. In all, the women collected five events wins and had nine performances under previous meet records.

Looking Ahead

The Knights still have a couple of indoor meets remaining on their schedule as some athletes contend for national meet qualifiers. They'll have the opportunity to attend the South Region Qualifier, hosted by Shenandoah, beginning on Friday, March 7th. The Division lll Indoor Track and Field National Championship meet will be contested on the weekend of March 14th, before the team turns their full attention to the outdoor season. Their first meet outdoors will be the W&L Carnival, hosted by Washington and Lee, on March 21-22. For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightxctf on Instagram.