Lexington, VA - Just a few weeks after claiming two more USA South Indoor team championships, the Southern Virginia University men's and women's track and field teams were on fire to begin the outdoor season, posting some of the nation's top times at the W&L Carnival.

The meet was held over two days and featured many of the top programs in the region. It was a windy couple of days, but the conditions proved good enough to help the Knights take down five school records and capture three first place finishes.

Day One

The Knights' 1,500m crew put on a show Friday afternoon. Joseph Hughes ran superb in the men's event, making an excellent move past his competitors in the final straightaway before being caught just before the line to finish in second. His time of 3:57.46 is a program record and places him 17th in the country.

Heidi Barton did one place better, leading nearly the entire race before winning the women's event in a record breaking time of 4:41.81. Not only does she now own the program record, she is behind just six runners in the national rankings. Dylan May added to the fun with his performance in the men's 5,000m. His time of 14:39.62 was a program record and is also amongst the nation's best times.

The men's 4x400m relay team of Isaac Armstrong, Ryan Pascual, Branden Beasley and Zeke Newman finished off a thrilling first day for the Knights with an excellent time of 3:26.16. It's Southern Virginia's fourth best time outdoors all-time, and is the best time they've run this season in the event considering indoor performances.

Day Two

One of the biggest successes during the second day came from the field events. Nolan Opp, the reigning USA South Champion in the men's javelin throw, launched his third attempt for 52.13 meters (171' 0"). It bests his conference winning throw, is the third best in program history, and ranks 34th in the country.

McCormick Johnson led a trio of pole vaulters to a quality day as well. He, along with Alex Silvester, surpassed the previous program record, each vaulting a height of 4.31 meters (14' 1.75") and were followed by Jak Marton. They occupied three of the top six places in the event.

Bayleigh Redd returned to the steeples for the first time since competing in the event at the 2022 NCAA Championship meet. She led from start to finish, finishing in a time of 11:29.10 to cap a quality weekend for the sophomore. 

In the sprints, another relay team made noise for Southern Virginia in the women's 4x100 meters. Maia Hunt, Folole Torres, Elise Curtis, and Shandrey Allman cruised to a time of 50.37 seconds, good for second place and the Knights best time in the event since 2022. In addition to her relay duties, Folole Torres continued her successful year in the hurdle events, running a personal best of 15.62 in the 100m hurdles to finish fourth.

Looking Ahead

A historic two days in their opening weekend of the outdoor season has the Knights trending in the right direction just five weeks out from the USA South Outdoor Championships. The team will return to action after spring break at the Doc Jopson Invitational hosted by Bridgewater College. Competition will take place from March 28-29.

For the most up-to-date information and details on the team visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightxctf on Instagram.