Four Bulldogs Finish First on Opening Day of Johnson C. Smith Invitational

FRIDAY'S RESULTS

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Morgan Costelloe, Nadiria Evans, Sage Turner and Victor Mathuthu all posted a first-place finish in their respective events, as the UNC Asheville men's and women's track and field teams concluded a very successful opening day at the Johnson C. Smith Invitational on Friday at the Irwin Belk Complex.

BULLDOG BITES

Highlights

To kick off the meet for UNC Asheville, Costelloe won the women's 3000m steeplechase, as she posted a 12:21.00. Two weeks ago at the Weems Baskin Relays, she clocked a 12:48.17, so her time on Friday was over 27 seconds faster than her previous career-best time.

Newly added to the women's track and field roster, Evans won first place in the women's triple jump. In her first event for the Bulldogs, she made a leap of 11.31m, which bested the runner-up by over 0.5m.

Turner was the third Bulldog to earn a first-place finish on Friday, as he won the men's 3000m steeplechase. The sophomore distance runner clocked a 9:53.97 time to best the second-place finisher by nearly seven seconds.

Mathuthu rounded out the first-place finishes for UNC Asheville, as the freshman won the men's triple jump. He made a leap of 14.59m, which bested second place by 0.05m. His previous career-best mark was 14.34m, which he set at the Weems Baskin Relays two weeks ago.

Maddie Lowe finished runner-up in the women's 800m with a time of 2:20.72. The time bested her previous career-best time of 2:21.13, which she set at Appalachian State three years ago.

Tyree McFalling finished eighth out of 20 runners in men's 200m, as the sophomore sprinter posted a 22.67. His previous best time was a 22.85, which he set at the Weems Baskin Invitational earlier this season.

What's Next?

The second day of the Johnson C. Smith Invitational is set to begin at 9 a.m. on April 7 with the men's and women's discus. The final event of the two-day meet is 4 x 400m relay, which commences at 1 p.m. at the Irwin Belk Complex.