March 06, 2021 | General
CIU begins outdoor season at Susan Rouse Invite
CENTRAL, S.C. – While a few of their teammates competed at the NAIA Indoor Nationals, the rest of the CIU track and field team got a head start on the outdoor season at the Susan Rouse Invitational hosted by Southern Wesleyan University. The meet hosted a wide variety of programs, including teams from all three NCAA divisions and the NAIA. Perhaps most importantly it was the first outdoor meet the Rams have competed in since May of 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CIU found success as always in both the men's and women's pole vault.
Blake Rimmer came in second for the men, while
Ashleigh Harding finished in second for the women. Harding reached the 3.20m (10'6) mark, only being beaten out by Journey Gurley, an athlete from NCAA Divison II North Georgia. Rimmer reached a height of 4.40m (14'5.25) for his second-place finish.
Kate Barbee had a notable day for the women's team as she finished in the top ten in the hammer throw. Barbee came in 9th overall as she threw a distance of 35.53m, coming ahead of several NCAA Division I and II opponents. Barbee competed in the javelin throw as well, coming in 6th with a distance of 22.46m, while her teammate
Gloriest Lubamba finished in the 9th in the same event at 19.49m. Elsewhere Anya Canty finished in the top ten in the shot put amongst a full field. Canty came in 9th, reaching a mark of 9.92m.
Jonathan Hicks finished 11th aganist stout competition in th men's hammer throw with a distance of 35.83m
On the track, both
Malik Beaver and
Clayton Hammonds represented the Rams well. Beaver finished 19th out of 64 competitors in the 800m with a time of 2:05.68. Hammonds finished 12th overall among 34 athletes in the 400m with a time of 52.74.
Track and Field Assistant Coach
John Sparks provided information on the meet saying, "We brought 12 athletes to SWU Saturday and despite the cooler than expected weather they performed well.
Kate Barbee broke the school record in the women's javelin and hammer throw while qualifying for the AAC outdoor conference meet in both events, placing 6th overall in the javelin.
Jonathan Hicks qualified for the AAC outdoor conference meet as well, falling just short of the school record in the men's hammer throw by only 4 centimeters."
For full meet results,
click here.
