WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - CIU's men track & field had another solid outing on Saturday, lead by podium finishes by Dario Laing, Tavarres Berrian, and Deandre Leith to close out the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) indoor meet for the 2022-23 season.
Deandre Leith has been dominating NAIA shot put all year, and today was no exception. With a measurement of 14.97m, he secured the conference crown in the event for the second consecutive year.
In the 600m, Tavarres Berrian ran one of his best races all season and finished in third place, timing 1:25.66 to pick up an All-Conference label.
Dario Laing held off the competition to secure second place in the 60m Hurdles, securing his All-Conference spot and a time of 8.28. With the performance, Laing qualified for NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships, becoming the first CIU men's track athlete to qualify in the event.
The Rams also did well in the relays, securing third place in the 4x400 relay. Irvin Sumter, Clayton Hammond, Berrian, and Laing used a team effort to collect their top finish in the event
Other notable performers of the day included Branson Rimmer with a 4th place finish in pole vault (3.75m) and Dizayuh Hinton with a 12.02m mark in shot put..
CIU wrapped up the meet with a 6th place finish out of 10 teams, and just three points back of fifth place. Perhaps most impressive for the first time in program history, CIU produced AAC Men's Indoor Track Freshman of the Year as Laing was bestowed with the honor.
What Coach Tim Thompson is saying: "Such a great way to finish up the indoor season. Congrats to the men & women conference winners, Milligan University.
A huge shoutout to coach John Sparks (throws). All season long, the throwers were the foundation of this team's success. Week after week, they consistently improved. They had the most PR's throughout the season and led the team with most NAIA qualifiers.
Awesome job, coach Michael Knight (distance). The improvement from cross-country season to indoor is amazing. Our women's distance medaled in both relays!
A special thanks to coach Rusty Shealy (pole vault). We are super blessed to have him on our staff leading the PV events. His ability to develop is second to none. Almost every vaulter reached a personal best.
Coach Anteca Hill (graduate assistant) has grown so much in this short amount of time. She took on the responsibility of coaching jumps and had two athletes finish in the top eight with multiple lifetime PR's
Our sprints and hurdles crew set the stage for CIU to impact the conference with two freshmen (Dario Laing & Trinyty Gegory) leading the way.
I've said it all season long, CIU Track is here! And we are just getting started."
Up Next: CIU will send NAIA qualifiers to the NAIA Indoor Track Field Championships in Brookings S.D., March 2-4.
