Graf Sets Two School Records to Highlight Tryon Winter Classic

MILL SPRING, N.C. – The UNC Asheville Track and Field team returned to Tryon this weekend (Jan. 16–17) for the two-day Tryon Winter Classic and Combined Events meet, highlighted by two school records from Alison Graf and 10 top-five finishes overall.

Graf opened her season in tremendous fashion, breaking both the women's 1,000m and 600m school records while claiming victories in each event.

Graf controlled the first section of the 1,000m, winning in 2:49.50 and shaving nearly eight seconds off her previous school record of 2:57.28, set last season. Asheville recorded a 1-2-3 finish in the event, with Isabel Richardson and Aneta Kucerová placing second and third in 2:58.61 and 2:58.65, respectively. The trio now ranks No. 1, 2, and 3 in program history. Lily Kelpin also secured a heat win in 3:11.66 (sixth overall), while Ella Moore kicked hard to take her heat in 3:15.27 (10th overall).

In the women's 600m, Graf cruised to a heat win in 1:34.70, dipping under the school record by more than two seconds to move from No. 2 to No. 1 on the all-time list. The previous record was set by Sarah Gentry in 2012. Nikole Baikova added a fourth-place finish in 1:37.49, while Kucerová placed ninth with a time of 1:43.15.

Shemarr Session led the way in the men's 200m, capturing the win in 21.55. Kelechi Anyanwu followed closely in third with a time of 21.63, while Ebube Emechebe recorded a personal best of 22.09 to place ninth. Ty'Vell Foskey rounded out the top 10 in 22.32.

Jaelyn Arnold earned a runner-up finish in the women's shot put with a personal-best mark of 12.47 meters, moving from No. 5 to No. 3 on the program's all-time list early in the season.

Stephen Pryor finished third overall in the men's heptathlon with 4,426 points, entering No. 2 on Asheville's all-time list and sitting just 55 points shy of the school record. Pryor also claimed first place in the high jump, earning 696 points.

Top Individual Finishes

Men's 1 Mile
Jan Málek — 3rd, 4:17.94
Tadiyos Sloan-Westmoreland — 6th, 4:19.08

Women's Weight Throw
Jaelyn Arnold — 6th, 14.92m

Men's 60m Finals
Demorris Jordan — 7th, 7.04

Men's 800m
Jaheem O'Hara — 9th, 1:59.02
Tadiyos Sloan-Westmoreland — 10th, 1:59.19

Women's 3,000m
Addi Corl — 9th, 10:45.33

Women's 1 Mile
Marika Dickel — 11th, 5:19.33 (PR)

Women's 400m
Francesca Cergol — 11th, 59.81

Men's Triple Jump
Max Smydra — 12th, 12.91m

Women's 800m
Payton Murphy — 13th, 2:29.70

Men's Long Jump
Aaron Higgins — 13th, 6.58m

Women's Long Jump
Morgan Brown — 14th, 5.13m
(13th in Triple Jump, 10.91m)

Women's 200m
Kieayla Williams — 18th, 26.05

Women's Pentathlon
Murielle Jeanite — 24th, 1,915 points

Men's 400m
Bennett Moreno — 27th, 52.23

Men's Weight Throw
Will Wilkerson — 30th, 12.82m
Preston Reed — 31st, 12.74m

Relays

The men's 4x400m A team placed fourth overall in 3:24.63, while the women's A team finished eighth in 4:18.06.

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

The Bulldogs will return to action at Tryon on Jan. 30–31 for the ECE Banked is Best Invitational. To stay updated on Asheville track & field, follow the team on 𝕩.

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics