MOUNT BERRY, Ga. – The University of West Alabama men's and women's track & field teams delivered strong performances at the Berry Field Day Invitational over the weekend, highlighted by multiple podium finishes and a pair of first-place victories.
Friday Highlights:
On the men's side, Caleb Van earned a podium finish in the triple jump, placing third with a mark of 13.70 meters. In the 400-meter hurdles,
Brayden Harris clocked a time of 59.97 seconds to finish 11th.
In distance events,
Gary Mata led UWA in the men's 1500-meter run, securing fourth place with a time of 4:00.67.
Avante Mackey (16th, 4:07.47) and
Jentzen Moore (27th, 4:17.51) also posted strong efforts. On the women's side,
Mercy Lomuria took second in the 1500-meter run with an impressive 4:47.65 finish. Laurel Moore (29th, 20:45.50) and
Kayley Key (33rd, 21:32.43) represented UWA in the 5000-meter run.
Saturday Highlights:
Saturday's competition saw several standout showings for both teams.
Dedric Hicks had one of the Tigers' top performances, taking second in the shot put with a mark of 15.21 meters. In the javelin throw,
Jaxson Lovelace placed sixth (52.57m), while
Autumn Sansing earned 11th on the women's side (29.01m).
Sprinter Yakuba Balikis was a star for the UWA women, winning both the 100-meter dash (11.92) and 200-meter dash (24.90).
Mikia Hutchings also finished fifth in the 100 meters (12.20), while
Erica Smith placed 22nd (12.89) in the 100 and 24th in the 200 meters (26.87).
For the men,
Antonio Young sprinted to second place in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.54, followed by Lawrence Walker in 16th (10.82). Walker later secured seventh in the 200 meters (21.69), with
Aaron Steele (29th, 22.90) and
Jaxson Lovelace (30th, 22.92) also competing.
In the 800-meter run, Shakenye Darden and
Gary Mata placed sixth and seventh, respectively, with sub-2:00 finishes. Darden crossed in 1:58.16, followed by Mata at 1:58.36.
Avante Mackey (13th),
Jentzen Moore (14th),
Dave Hubert (25th), and
Jayson Lynch (35th) also represented UWA.
In the 400-meter dash,
Michael Harris finished ninth (50.79), with
Dennis Toles (12th, 51.61) and
Terrence Moore (30th, 54.56) not far behind. On the women's side,
Jamaya Dancy (16th, 1:01.70),
Haley Cook-Graham (26th, 1:04.29), and Boneica Meadows (35th, 1:08.11) all competed.
UWA's women's 4x400-meter relay team capped the weekend with a third-place finish, helping the women to a seventh-place team finish, while the men secured eighth overall.
The Tigers now turn their attention to their next meet in Atlanta, Georgia in the Georgia Tech Invitational as they continue building momentum into the final stretch of the outdoor season
