SALEM, Va. – Averett University track and field wrapped up its season opening trip to Roanoke's Finn Pincus Invitational.
The women's team kicked the day off once again, as freshman Sara Beth Garrett competed in the mile run, placing 35th in the event. Senior Jaden Carter competed in the same event on the men's side, and placed 51st.
Sophomore Hailey Juhasz lined up next for the women's 400M run, and ran to a 30th-place finish with a time of 1:08.21. The Cougars entered a full squad into the men's 400M event, putting forth five runners. Sophomore Ke'Vannio Smith paced his teammates, finishing in 56.08 for a 38th-place result. Juniors Jay Davis and Kevin Grimshaw rounded out Averett's top three performers, finishing in 46th and 48th respectively.
In the day's 800M events, it was Garrett again carrying the banner for the Averett women. The freshman placed 24th with a time of 3:55.53. For the men's team it was the sophomore duo of Azael Quintero and Justin Schmied vying for the team's top spot. Quintero came out on top thanks to a personal best performance, coming home in 15th-place with a time of 2:16.12. Schmied followed close behind in 18th-place, crossing the line in 2:24.55.
The women's 200M sprint saw Juhasz compete head to head against her fellow dual sport sophomore, Leah Brethren. Juhasz led the way with a time of 28.51, while Brethren finished with a 30.71 time, placing the Cougars 36th and 65th. The men's 200M event featured a tight battle among Averett teammates. Senior Nick Andrews came out on top by a slim margin, finishing 68th with a time of 25.30. Junior Chris Nelson finished hot on his tail, with a time of 25.35 and a 69th-place score. Davis rounded out Averett's podium with a time of 25.57, and a 71st-place finish.
The final track event of the day saw the Cougars place 10th in the 4x400M relay. The squad of Smith, Quintero, Davis, and Sophomore Darius Eubanks posted a time of 4:02.70 to earn the result.
On the field side of things, it was Nelson as the Cougars' lone competitor in both the long jump and triple jump. Nelson kicked things off with a 5.63 meter leap in the long jump, placing him in 35th. In the triple jump Nelson posted a distance of 11.98 meters, good for a 16th-place finishing position.
With the season's opening weekend in the books, Averett will turn its focus on the upcoming Virginia Military Institute Invitational, set to get underway at 2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24.
