WKU Track & Field opened its 2017-18 campaign at the Vanderbilt Indoor Opener in Music City posting 10 top-eight finishes on the day including a Jonathan Hayden event crown in the men’s 60-meter hurdles. The Hilltoppers have opened the last five seasons in Nashville.
“We had some solid performances today, but we need to get better in a few areas as we continue to train,” head coach Erik Jenkins shared following the opener. “Vanderbilt provided us with a good early season meet to measure our fitness and ability to manage the meet.”
Hayden led WKU with an event crown on the day in the 60-meter hurdles after clocking a mark of 8.10. Julius Morris posted a second place finish in the 400 with a time of 48.0, winning his heat and taking second by three-tenths of a second.
In the 60-meter competition, Austin Hayes notched a sixth-place showing with a 7.03 to win his heat.
On the distance side, Taylor Scarbrough and Julien Cuyeu finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 3,000-meter run. Scarbrough ran an 8:56.39 while Cuyeu posted a 9:00.15 reading.
The 4×400-meter relay unit of Hayes, Eli Minor, Julius Morris and Denzel Villaman secured a third-place finish with a time of 3:17.42 on the day.
For the Lady Toppers, the 4×400-meter relay combination of Ariel Terrell, Aairiona Hayden-Ransom, Rebecca Cook and Juannae Lewis grabbed a fourth-place finish. The unit ran a 3:55.29 mark for first in its heat.
Earning top-eight finishes as individuals for the Lady Toppers were Savannah Ames, who took seventh (10:47.44) in the 3,000-meter run, and Terrell, who finish eighth in the 60-meter dash (7.68).
Following the holidays, the Hilltoppers will head to the Purdue-hosted Fred Wilt Open in West Lafayette, Ind., set to take place Jan. 12-13.
How to follow WKU Track & Field: For complete information on WKU Track & Field, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUTrackField.
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Jessica Leifheit
Assistant Director
WKU Athletic Communications/Media Relations
