CLEMSON, S.C. – Again, led by a handful of sophomores and freshmen, the Coastal Carolina University women's and men's indoor track & field teams combined to turn in 10 top-15 place finishes on Friday at the Bob Pollock Meet held at the Clemson Indoor Track & Field Complex.
CCU had two runners race to top-five finishes in the women's 60-meter dash, as junior
Melissa Jefferson finished third overall with her time of 7.32 in the finals heat and placed two spots in front of freshman
Alexis Glasco and her finals time of 7.43.
However, it was Jefferson's blazing time of 7.23 in the 60-meter dash semifinals heat that would highlight the meet, as the two-time defending Sun Belt Conference Women's Track Athlete of the Week's time was not only a CCU school record but also set a new Sun Belt Conference record. The previous SBC record was 7.28 held by Shakira Nelvis of Arkansas State (2014).
In the 400-meter dash, sophomore
Jermaisha Arnold finished fourth overall with her time of 54.34, just ahead of fellow classmate
Lauren Gordon who finished 15th overall with her personal-best time of 56.49, which ranks 10th in CCU history.
In the 5000-meters, freshman
Meagan Moreno placed third overall with a time of 18:00.23, while sophomore
Sydney Clemens placed 12th overall in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.61 in the preliminaries.
Redshirt sophomore
Kynnedy Dennis continued her strong start to the indoor season, as she recorded a new personal-best height of 3.51 meters in the women's pole vault event to place 10th overall. Her mark ranks fifth all-time on CCU's indoor performance list.
While newcomers
Alyssa Gregory and
Annika Hummel missed out on the top-15, both cleared 3.36 meters in the pole vault event on Friday which is tied for the seventh-best mark in CCU history.
The women's team wrapped up the day with a fifth-place finish in the women's distance medley relay, as the team of
Ashley Rulison,
Shani'a Bellamy,
Amilia Wise-Sweat, and Moreno recorded a time of 12:46.56.
On the men's side, freshman
Michael Welsh Jr. crossed the finish line in fifth-place overall with a time of 16:10.21 in the 5000-meters, while second-year Chant
Braydon Bennett finished ninth overall in the 60-meter hurdles with his prelims time of 7.89, just missing out on the finals heat.
Just missing out on a top-15 place finish on Friday for the men's team was
Tyler Graves in the men's 60-meter hurdles (16th – 8.11),
Garrett Bivens in the 1-mile run (18th – 4:19.30), and
Robert Johnson in the 400-meter dash (19th – 49.11).
The Chanticleers will be back in action tomorrow, as day two of the Bob Pollock Meet will start at 9 a.m. ET.
Coastal's Top-15 Performances on Day 1 of the Bob Pollock Meet
Women's 60-meter dash
3.
Melissa Jefferson – 7.32
5.
Alexis Glasco – 7.43
* Jefferson's time of 7.23 in the semifinals was a new CCU school and Sun Belt Conference record
Women's 60-meter hurdles
12.
Sydney Clemens – 8.61
Women's 400-meters
4.
Jermaisha Arnold – 54.34
15.
Lauren Gordon – 56.49
Women's 5000-meters
3.
Meagan Moreno – 18:00.23
Women's Pole Vault
10.
Kynnedy Dennis – 3.51m
Women's DMR
5.
Ashley Rulison,
Shani'a Bellamy,
Amilia Wise-Sweat,
Meagan Moreno – 12:46.56
Men's 60-meter hurdles
9.
Braydon Bennett – 7.89
Men's 5000-meters
5.
Michael Welsh Jr. – 16:10.21
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