Bulldogs Set Three School Records in Season Opener at Tryon

MILL SPRING, N.C. – The UNC Asheville Track and Field team kicked off the 2026 indoor season in impressive fashion on Saturday, breaking three school records at the season opener. The meet marked the first collegiate competition at Tryon International since the facility added the Mondo Super X 720 Indoor Track.

School Records Set

Nkosi Jeju opened his season by winning the men's long jump with a mark of 7.40 meters, surpassing his own previous school record of 7.34 meters set at last year's Gamecock Opener.
Kelechi Anyanwu made a memorable collegiate debut in the men's 300m, finishing in 34.29 seconds to set a new school record. The previous mark of 34.74 seconds was held by Shemarr Session.
Bennett Moreno also set a school record in his collegiate debut in the men's 600m, taking third overall in 1:22.08. The previous record of 1:22.74 had stood since 1995.

Other long jump competitors included Elijah Able (4th, 6.82m), Aaron Higgins (6th, 6.78m), and Max Smydra (7th, 6.63m), with Able entering the record book at No. 5. Ty'Vell Foskey (7th, 35.47) and Demorris Jordan (10th, 35.83) also represented Asheville in the top-10 of the 300m.

Top Individual Finishes

Women's 1,000m

Marika Dickel – 1st, 3:11.42 (No. 4 in program records)
Payton Murphy – 3rd, 3:18.60
Eva Weaver – 4th, 3:24.13
Ashley Keazer – 5th, 3:27.57

Women's Weight Throw

Jaelyn Arnold – 2nd, 15.51m (No. 2 in program records)

Women's Shot Put

Jaelyn Arnold – 4th with a personal best of 12.10m (No. 5 in program records)

Men's Shot Put

Will Wilkerson – 7th, 14.40m

Men's Triple Jump

Blake Hawks – 2nd, 13.91m (No. 3 in program records)
Max Smydra – 5th, 13.38m
Nkosi Jeju – 6th, 13.36m

Women's 300m

Murielle Jeanite – 8th, 41.70 (No. 4 in program records)

Women's 600m

Zoe Bos – 4th, 1:43.10

Men's 60m Finals

Rodney Tabb – 8th, 7.08

Men's 60m Hurdles

Shemarr Session – 4th, 8.42
Stephen Pryor – 7th, 8.56

Men's High Jump

Stephen Pryor – 7th, 1.93m

Men's 1,000m

Jaheem O'Hara – 2nd, 2:34.84
Preston Core – 3rd, 2:35.07
Noah Jones – 6th, 2:52.83

Men's Mile & 800m

Quinn Jacquez – 3rd in mile (4:25.81) & 800m (2:01.12)

Women's Mile

Addi Corl – 6th, 5:23.16

Women's 800m

Ella Moore – 9th, 2:34.48

Men's & Women's 200m

Ebube Emechebe – 4th, 22.28
Kieayla Williams – 9th, 26.03

Men's & Women's 3,000m

Lance Surles – 9th, 8:55.42
Grace Thompson – 9th, 11:31.34

Men's 400m

Jalice Payton – 7th, 51.63
Jeremiah Louis – 10th, 52.02

Relays

Women's 4x400m: Francesca Cergol, Murielle Jeanite, Kamryn Peeples, Alexis Vaughan – 1st, 4:09.25
Men's 4x400m: DaMarr Harvey, Shemarr Session, Kelechi Anyanwu, Ebube Emechebe – 5th, 3:29.89

For a complete look at all of the results, click here.

The Bulldogs will return to action at Tryon next weekend (Jan. 16-17) for the Tryon International Winter Invitational.

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University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics