BUENA VISTA, Va. - The Southern Virginia University men's track and field team is projected second in the upcoming USA South Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

The Knights garnered two first-place votes, totaling 22 points to finish just behind the defending champions, Pfeiffer, who collected the other four first-place votes.

Southern Virginia and Pfeiffer have dueled at the top of the conference for the last couple of years. Including cross country and indoor track & field, the teams have occupied the top two spots in six of the last seven championship events.

The Knights have put together another strong season to place themselves in contention for their fourth outdoor title in five seasons since joining the USA South.

Sawyer Apple and Zeke Newman have led the charge on the track. Apple has broken the program record in the 110 hurdles several times and has posted the best high jump mark on the team.

Meanwhile, Newman has followed a standout rookie campaign with even better numbers during his sophomore season. He holds top three conference marks in the 400m (49.25) and long jump (6.65m / 21' 10").

Sticking with the field events, McCormick Johnson and Lucas Martin closed the regular season as conference leaders in the pole vault and javelin, respectively. Martin leads a contingent of three Knights in the javelin who occupy spots in the top five of the conference rankings. 

Southern Virginia will look to maximize points in each event in order to bridge the gap to the defending champs. 

USA South Championship

The USA South title will be competed for in Concord, North Carolina at the Jay M. Robinson Mondo Track & Field Facility, home of the last two conference championship meets.

Events will be held from Friday, April 24th, through Saturday, April 25th. The women's hammer is the first event to take flight at 1:30 ET.

For the most up-to-date information on the team and a meet schedule, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightxctf on Instagram.