MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - - The Wilmington University track & field team traveled down to Myrtle Beach to partake in the Myrtle Beach Collegiate Challenge at the Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium against 39 other collegiate teams on Friday and Saturday.
The men finished fourth out of 27 scoring teams with 54.5 points while the women finished 16th of 26 scoring teams with 16 points.
DAY 1
Men
Freshman Matt Gonzalez secured the Wildcats their lone first-place victory in the Men's Open 800-meter run with a time of 2:02.97. Fellow freshman Heyward Boutte Jr. also competed in the event finishing with a time of 2:19.34, taking 19th place out of 30 runners.
Freshman Akeel Blake matched his best distance from his last week's performance, jumping a total of 6.92 meters (22'8.50") in the long jump pit. His long jump scored him third overall and second collegiately, which earned the team 8 points.
The 4x200 relay team consisting of Tyler Levons, Matthew Hibbert, James Keenan, and Akeel Blake got off to a fast start by leading the relay through the first two handoffs, while being in the furthest lane of lane 8. In an exciting race, and the Wildcats were able to finish in fourth to give the team 6 points with a time of 1:30.85.
On the throwing side, Junior Josh Varghese placed 12th out of 38 throwers in the hammer throw with a season-best toss of 41.76 meters.
Sophomore Dan Wyshinski ran the longest distance of the day in the last event of the day, the 5,000-meter race. Wyshinski finished under the CACC qualification standards of 16:59.04 by running a time of 16:24.36 which placed 16th out of 40 runners.
The 4x800 meter relay team consisting of Mike Dowd, Matt Gonzalez, Heyward Boutte Jr., and Logan Strouse just missed out on scoring points, with a 10th place finish and a time of 8:37.12.
Women
Freshman Jalah Turner jumped 4.25 meters (13'11.50") which is not far off from the qualification standards for the CACC Championship meet of 4.77 meters.
The Women's 4x200 meter relay team consisting of Temi Mustapha, Kharonay Brown, Jalah Turner, and Layla Hunt finished with a time of 1:50.32 which gave them 2 points with 11th place finish overall.
DAY 2
Men
The Wildcats battled windy and rainy conditions with temperatures in the forties for most of the day on the second day of the Myrtle Beach Collegiate Challenge.
Akeel Blake continued his jumping form with a first-place finish in the Men's Triple Jump. He fouled his first two jumps but was able to show composure and jumped a distance of 13.1 meters to advance to the finals, which earned him three more jumps. He jumped his best in the finals with a jump of 13.65 (44'9") which topped his distance from last at Salisbury.
Blake also took home a fifth-place finish in the high jump, in tough conditions of heavy wind. He leaped over the bar 1.83 meters, which earned the men's team 3.5 points.
Graduate student Shemar Parker competed in the pole vault today, again the mist of heavy wind and rain. Parker still managed to finish fourth in the event by clearing the bar at 3.66 meters (12'0"). His fourth-place finish gave the Wildcats 5 points.
Freshman Matt Gonzalez added a spark to the men's side in the 3,000-meter race. He finished with a Wilmington best time of 9:02.41 and a fifth-place finish overall, earning 4 points. Sophomore Dan Wyshinski was not far off, with a finish time of 9:25.47, that time finished Wyshinski in 14th place out of 45 runners.
Junior Josh Varghese was able to score a point for the Wildcats with a ninth-place finish in the Men's Shot Put with a score of 12.74 meters.
The 4x100 meter relay consisting of James Keenan, Matthew Hibbert, Akeel Blake, and Tyler Levons finished with a time of 44.03 seconds, a fifth-best time, earning the team four points.
Sophomore Logan Strouse scored a crucial point in the Men's 800-meter run with a time of 2:04.77. His finishing time was good for 8th place.
Graduate Mike Dowd showed some versatility by running in the 400-meter hurdles and pulling out a 7th best time of 1:00.31. Dowd's performance gave the men's team an additional 2 points. This time also locked Dowd into a spot in the CACC Championships in May. Additionally, Dowd earned a fifth-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:36.86.
Junior Matthew Hibbert earned a point in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.94 seconds.
To wrap up the night the men's 4x400 meter relay team of Tyler Levons, Akeel Blake, Matt Gonzalez and Matthew Hibbert finished in fourth place, earning 6 points, with a time of 3:41.66.
The Wilmington University Men's Track and Field Team finished in fourth place this weekend down at Myrtle Beach out of 32 teams.
Women
Freshman Temi Mustapha started things off for the Wildcats by scoring points in the triple jump. She improved on her jump from last week by leaping 10.15 meters (33'3.75"). This jump earned the team 3 points.
The 4x100 meter relay team consisting of Kharonay Brown, Layla Hunt, Jalah Turner, and Temi Mustapha finished in 11th place with a time of 52.43.
Freshman Kharonay Brown earned a point in the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.68 seconds. This time Brown placed her in 8th out of 30 runners.
Graduate student Lina Boussif finished 11th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 14:46.33. Boussif's time was under the CACC qualifications standard minimum time of 15:07.36.
The Wildcats were able to end the meet on a high note by taking home a first-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay. of Kharonay Brown, Layla Hunt, Jalah Turner, and Temi Mustapha earned the title of Myrtle Beach Collegiate Challenge Champions with a time of 4:38.79.
The women scored 16 points in the two days, giving them a 16th place finish overall out of 33 competing teams.
UP NEXT:
The Wilmington University Track & Field team travel back north and then prepare for their next meet at the Maryland Invitational hosted by the University of Maryland on Saturday, March 19.
