COLUMBIA — CIU men's track and field scored a handful of podium finishes on the final day of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The final slew of events wrapped up the three-day championships, which were hosted by CIU.
The Rams were paced by CIU's throws squad, which saw both Deandre Leith and Cameron Montgomery medal. Leith (16.46) and Montgomery (16.04) finished first and second in the shot put. Leith also snagged gold in the men's discus with a heave of 48.89m, while Montgomery finished top ten with a PR of 39.76.
Montgomery's efforts on Saturday, combined with his hammer outing on Friday, earned the freshman the title of AAC Men's Track & Field Newcomer of the Year.
Cameron Montgomery was named the AAC men's Track & Field Newcomer of the Year
Elsewhere in the field, Elijah Seawright found the podium Saturday as he posted a second-place finish in the triple jump (13.70m, school record, PR).
On the track, the quartet of Denim Jones, Clayton Hammond, Malik Beaver, and Kevin Cunningham finished sixth in the 4x400 relay (3:30.13).
In addition, CIU's distance team was represented in the steeplechase by Joel Baumgarten (11:07.13) and Landon Batterman (11:15.49).
Joel Baumgarten clears a steeple barrier as Landon Batterman follows closely behind
As a team, the Rams would finish an impressive fifth out of 13 teams.
Hear from Emma Johnson and Deandre Leith:
What Coach John Sparks is saying: "I could not be prouder of the effort from the women's and men's teams this week. Eleven new school records and more All-Conference awards than we have ever had. Our first AAC conference team championship in school history was well deserved with all the hard work this team has shown this season."
Up Next: CIU will tune up for the NCAA and NAIA National Championships as they head to the East Coast Relays, taking place April. 26-27. The relays are hosted by the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.
