University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
School Record Jump from Jeju Highlights Day One of the Tennessee Invite
04.04.2025 | Track and Field
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The UNC Asheville Track and Field team opened the Tennessee Invite on Friday (April 4), and a school record in the long jump for Nkosi Jeju, five top ten finishes, and six personal bests highlighted Asheville's opening day.
SCHOOL RECORD AND TOP TEN FINISHES
In only his first attempt at the long jump this season, Nkosi Jeju jumped to a school-record-breaking distance of 7.07 meters, placing 11th overall. Jeju also holds the indoor long jump record at 7.34 meters, set at the USC Gamecock Opener on January 13.
Madison Hannah worked her way to third place in the women's discus, throwing a season's best of 41.85 meters. Hannah also placed 12th in the javelin throw with her distance of 23.45 meters.
Quinn Jacquez held a strong pace throughout the men's 5,000m to secure fourth place overall, breaking 15 minutes for the first time in his collegiate career and setting a new personal best of 14:56.95.
Shemarr Session ran his first outdoor 200m and finished in 21.06 to place seventh overall, a new No. 75 DI time. He enters at No. 3 in program records, behind teammate DaMarr Harvey, who holds the record at 20.71.
Christina Jones set a new season's best in the javelin throw, placing seventh overall with her distance of 31.12 meters. Jones currently sits at No. 5 in the javelin throw at 37.05 meters. She also placed 11th in the discus throw at 36.15 meters, just ahead of Neely Rogan in 12th with her throw of 35.69 meters.
Aneta Kucerová opened her 2025 track season with a ninth-place finish and time of 18:17.56 in the women's 5,000m.
TRACK
Joining Session in the 200m was fellow freshman and previous high school teammate Joseph Oliver, who set a new personal best of 21.77 to place 23rd overall.
In the women's section, Francesca Cergol led the charge by clocking a personal best of 24.86 to place 26th, followed by Kamryn Peeples in 43rd (25.88) and Alexis Vaughan in 47th (26.07).
Sophie Lundin and Madeline Wittschen joined Kucerová in the women's 5,000m, who placed 17th (18:50.44) and 25th (19:10.57), respectively.
Joining Jacquez in the men's section was Nate Sullivan, who ran a season's best of 15:36.88 to place 19th, and Tadiyos Sloan-Westmoreland, who took 28th in 15:56.81.
Ella Warren recorded a personal best in the 1,500m, representing Asheville solo to place 24th in 4:58.03. On the men's side, Andrew Okon placed 32nd in a season's best of 4:07.2, less than a second off his PR, and Lance Surles placed 42nd in 4:23.69.
Over the 400m hurdles, Adam Graham placed 13th in a time of 56.39.
FIELD
Jaelyn Arnold placed 14th in the hammer throw with a second-best all-time mark of 39.82 meters.
Chad Lasher made his collegiate discus debut and threw for 44.11 meters, placing 14th overall. Lasher was joined by Noah Henthorn, who placed 24th with 37.78 meters in his debut.
Murielle Jeanite was .1 meters away from her personal best in the long jump, jumping to 5.34 meters and into 23rd.
For full results from day one of the Tennessee Invite, click HERE. Asheville will be back in Knoxville for day two tomorrow, Saturday, April 5.
TORNADO CLASSIC RECAP
A group of Bulldogs also competed at Brevard College on Friday, with all nine Bulldogs securing top-ten finishes to mark a successful day of competition.
Ella Moore locked the highest finish for Asheville in the women's 1,500m, taking fourth place in 5:01.18. Three Bulldogs joined Moore in their collegiate debut at the distance: Payton Murphy (6th, 5:10.30), Addi Corl (11th, 5:16.16), and Eva Weaver (12th, 5:20.73). Murphy placed ninth in the 800m with 2:32.16.
Moore, Corl, and Weaver then joined Lauren Sochia in the 5,000m, with Moore placing second (19:28.23), Sochia placing fourth with a personal best time of 19:46.81, followed by Corl in seventh (21:20.22) and Weaver in eighth (22:12.44).
In the men's 1,500m, the Bulldogs finished shoulder to shoulder, with Sam Hulsey taking sixth with 4:11.64 and Jonas Roach behind him in seventh with a personal best of 4:11.70.
Hulsey and Roach doubled back for a tempo 5,000m, with Roach taking fifth in 16:17.83 and Hulsey in 12th in 17:20.47.
Over the 100m hurdles, Madison Eaches placed ninth in a personal best time of 19.16. Eaches also took 15th place in the women's 200m, crossing the line in 29.65. In the 400m hurdles, Dylan Metcalf placed ninth in the men's section with 1:06.41 over the hurdles.
For full results from the Tornado Classic, click HERE.
SOCIAL MEDIA
To stay updated with all things surrounding Asheville track & field, follow the team on 𝕩.
Players Mentioned
