Track team dominates in day one of SSAC Championships

Mark T. Robinson, Sports Editor

Track Footage from Mark Robinson on Vimeo.

The men’s and women’s track and field team had four first place finishes in day one of the SSAC Championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Senior Nick Dondzilla took first place in the men’s javelin competition with a distance of 49.o1m. Dondzilla also beat a school record with that distance. Junior Anthony Parker threw a distance of 43.99m, good enough for a third place finish overall. Dondzilla and Parker earned 16 points total for the Pack.

Sophomore Christian Lynch was the top finisher in the men’s long jump with a distance of 6.98m, falling just .02m shy of the school record. Lynch also finished sixth overall in the men’s 200m preliminaries with a time of 22.34, qualifying for the finals tomorrow.

The men’s 4x800m relay team of Payton Bock, Paul Freese, Mario Ramirez and William Maye finished second overall, earning eight points for the Pack. The men’s team are sitting in third overall, with 36 total points.

For the women’s team, senior Stevie Baray-Forget finished first in the javelin throw with a distance of 40.54m, throwing six meters further than the second place finish. Baray-Forget also qualified for the women’s NAIA National Championships with that throw. Freshman Elizabeth Joi Scioneaux finished first overall in the women’s long jump with a distance of 5.34m.

The women’s 4x800m relay team of Emma Larson, Hailey Milsark, Jessica Williams and Julia Sweeney finished second overall with a time of 10:02.63, setting a school record by nearly six seconds. That earned the team eight points.

Sophomore Precious Semien finished fifth overall in the 200m prelims with a time of 25.52, earning a spot in the 200m finals on Saturday. Semien broke the record set by Sara Tortorich in 2011. The women’s team is sitting in second place with a total  of 28 points.

The SSAC Championships will conclude tomorrow, with all events beginning at 11 a.m.