COLUMBIA, S.C. – The second day of the Carolina Challenge saw top performance from Tech jumpers and distance runners.
“I thought we had a good weekend overall. We were able to get some people back into competition who we had been missing, and continue to see the depth of the team improve. But I feel like we are just missing a big performance that we need to lift the team up as we continue to prepare for the championships that are 5 weeks away. I think we’re close, and think that spark can come from a number of people. Proud of the team’s effort and look forward to next week,” Women’s Track & Field Head Coach Alan Drosky said.
In the women’s long jump, Taylor Grimes took first with a mark of 5.84m (19’2”). Two additional Tech athletes finished in the top five with Attallah Smith placing fourth and Mikayla Williams placing fifth with jumps of 5.62m (18’5.25”) and 5.61m (18’5”), respectively.
Shanty Papakosta continued her string of top finishes in the women’s high jump, finishing second among attached athletes with a leap of 1.73m (5’8”).
Rounding out the top jumpers on the day, Cameron O’Neal placed fifth in the men’s long jump with a mark of 7.44m (24’5”).
Distance runners also had many top results. The 5000m had Tech prominently on the podium. Ethan Curnow took home the top spot in the men’s 5000m (14:48.73) and Clay McKnight secured second in the women’s 5000m (17:54.71).
The Yellow Jackets continued their strong showing in the distance events with several top finishers in the 3000m. The men’s 3000m had Jackets in three of the top six spots with Ronan Sullivan (8:17.53), Henrik Anderson (8:17.68) and James Cragin (8:18.21) finishing in fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.
The women’s 3000m had top finishes from Mary Kathryn Knott (9:48.47), Gillian Filer (9:54.17) and Kenzie Walls (9:55.14) placed fifth, sixth and eighth in the event.
The White and Gold continue their indoor season at the Bob Pollock Invitational on Jan. 28-29.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
– #TogetherWeSwarm –
