COLUMBIA, S.C. - The CIU women's track and field team took a short trip down the road to compete on day one of the Carolina Challenge hosted by the University of South Carolina. The squad competed well against many NCAA DI and DII schools, recording several personal records and finding themselves in the top 100 for the 2024 NAIA College Indoor Rankings.
The team kicked off the meet in the 60m prelims, where Charlotte Johnson (8.02) and Morgan Johnson (8.06) represented the Rams. Emma Johnson finished in 8th place in the 60m hurdles finals with a time of 8.92 for a new PR*, while Ane' Peasley finished with a time of 9.85 in the prelims of the same event.
Emma Johnson (25.39) secured 5th place in the 200m to set a new PR and SR*, and Trinyty Gregory (26.41) finished just a second behind her teammate. In the 300m, Morgan Johnson clocked in at 43.80, while Peasley recorded a time of 49.03. Neveah Nabors was the sole competitor representing the Rams in the 400m with a time of 1:07.24.
Rosemary Reed collected a PR in the 800m race at 2:33.05. Jordan Wray competed as well, with a time of 2:47.47. Lydia Willhite completed the 1-mile race in 5:57.02.
On the field, Acoya Hunt grabbed a seventh-place finish in the shot put with a distance of 10.69m. Coral Curry was shy of a top-ten finish with a distance of 10.30m. Curry also represented in the weight throw with a seventh-place finish (13.30m, PR).
What CIU Director of Track & Field Tim Thompson says: "We lined up against some of the nation's best athletes today and held our own! We end day one of the competition with Dario lowering the school record in the 60h, ranking him at No. 11 in the NAIA. Emma tied the school record in the 60m hurdles and is now ranked No. 17 in the NAIA. She lowered her school record from last week in the 200m and is now ranked No. 16 in the NAIA in that event. I am also extremely proud of freshman Cameron Montgomery for winning both open shot put and weight thrown sessions. While we are still motivated to reach more of our goals, we are so grateful for God blessing us today. I'm excited to see what God has in store for us on day two."
Up Next: The Rams are back in action tomorrow morning for day two of the Carolina Challenge.
*Readers Guide:
PR: Personal Record
SR: School Record
