ATLANTA — The Central State track and field team had a strong showing March 22-23 at the Emory University Invitational, earning a combined 10 top-five finishes between the CSU men and women.
Junior Juan Scott was the top-point earner for the Marauders. Scott picked up his second win of the outdoor season in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.05 seconds. He also ran a 55.66 in the 400-meter hurdles for a fifth-place finish. Scott later teamed up with Isreal Williamson, Dametrius Alexander and Baron Wilson to win the 1,600-meter relay with a season-best time of 3:16.69.
In the distance events, freshman Raymond Korir took the top spot in the 10,000-meter run with a pace of 31:35.68 while junior Emmanuel Birgen finished third in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 15:28.32.
Junior Krystal Mitchell highlighted the CSU women’s performances with second-place finishes in the 100-meter dash (12.04) and 200-meter dash (24.95). Sophomore Ayanna O’Neal finished fourth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.62. Mitchell and O’Neal ran in the 400 meter relay with Jordan Saffold and Denise Munday as the team took second place with the season’s top time of 47.80.
The CSU women’s team placed 10th out of 31 teams. Host Emory won the women’s team title with 114 points. In the men’s team standings, the Marauders placed eighth out of 28 teams. Tennessee Wesleyan won the event by a half point over Taylor University (Ind.), 78-77.5.
According to Central State officials the Marauders have placed 25 athletic performances among the top-10 marks in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference through three events in the outdoor season. The SIAC championships are scheduled for April 18-20 in Rock Hill, S.C.
Central State returns to competition on Friday, April 5 when they will compete in the Johnson C. Smith Invitational in Charlotte, N.C.