Liberty University
Campbell Invitational
Liberty Men Finish 2nd, Women 3rd at Campbell Invite
4/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Four weeks before the 2015 Big South Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Liberty squared off against some of its top conference rivals, Saturday at the Campbell Invitational. The Flames placed second, while the Lady Flames came in third at Irwin Belk Track.
Ryan Davis (400 hurdles), Ken Ritchey (pole vault), David Scouten (discus) and Kyle Wheeler (high jump) all won events for the Liberty men's squad, which tallied 158 points for second place in the four-team field. Coastal Carolina led the way with 176 points.
The Chanticleers also captured the women's team title, racking up 216 points to High Point's 142 and Liberty's 109. Jessie Glynn (pole vault), Jessica Harrison (shot put) and Jennifer Smith (discus) each won their individual events for the Lady Flames.
Men's Meet Recap
Ritchey pole vaulted a personal-best 16-6.75 to defeat the reigning Big South indoor and outdoor pole vault champion, Austin Miller of High Point. Ritchey's clearance moves him up to No. 7 in program history and was the top performance by a Flame since Kolby Shepherd's school-record 17-8.5 vault at the 2012 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Alexandru Barker followed in third place, equaling his personal best of 15-7.
Even with Big South leader Fred Fulton sitting out the meet, Liberty swept four of the top five spots in the men's discus. Scouten was victorious with a 167-4 heave, followed closely by teammate Tim Abbott in the runner-up spot at 166-1. Tevan McIntire threw 130-8 for fourth place, while Zach Davis came in fifth with a top effort of 124-6. Scouten, Abbott and McIntire all established new season-best distances on the day.
Scouten also claimed second place in the men's hammer at 173-9, while Seth Lewis reached a personal-best 152-4 for fourth.
Sophomore Ryan Davis was Liberty's lone victor on the track on Saturday, clocking a 400 hurdles time of 55.65 to hold off teammate Ryan Versen's runner-up effort of 56.15. It marked Davis' third victory in five 400 hurdles races this season.
Ryan Davis was also a close second in the 110 hurdles, thanks to a personal-best time of 14.87. Zach Gilroy followed in the third spot with a season-best 16.90.
Wheeler high jumped a season-best 6-8.75 to win the event. Gilroy chipped in a fourth-place finish at 5-10.75.
Joey Imhoff recorded top-three finishes in both of his events, notching season-best times in each. He was second at 100 meters (10.89) and third in the 200 (22.14).
Aklesso Agama triple jumped 47-4.5 for second place, while long jumping 22-6.25 for the fourth spot in that event.
John Sherret's 800 time of 1:53.49 was good for second place. Teammate Jacob Onifer recorded a season-best 1:55.27 to come in fourth.
Jeremie Bourget crossed the line as the 3K runner-up, with a time of 8:38.99.
Sherret, Christopher Crowder, Onifer and Versen teamed up for third place in the 4 x 400 relay, clocking 3:22.34.
Versen also posted a season-best 400 time of 50.41 for fourth place, while Zach Davis' personal-best 44-8.25 shot put heave garnered fourth place.
Women's Meet Recap
Glynn was successful on her first pole vault attempt at 12-5.5, giving her a victory over defending Big South indoor and outdoor champion Jill Marois of High Point.
Smith dominated the women's discus competition, as her season-best 154-7 effort outdistanced the runner-up by more than 19 feet.
Harrison threw the shot put an outdoor personal-best 37-6 to win the event, with fellow heptathlete Erika Jackson coming in fourth at 36-1.25.
Janae Jones nearly won the women's triple jump at 39-10, but was relegated to second place when Campbell's Sabina Allen reached 40-0.75 on her sixth and final attempt. Allison Corbin added a fifth-place showing, with a 33-0.25 leap.
Jones also anchored the Lady Flames' 4 x 400 relay team to second place in a time of 3:57.07. She was joined by Corinn Bedell, Mary Witmer and Jasmin Sutton.
Heather Wyatt came in second in her 3K steeplechase debut, crossing the finish line in 13:07.21.
Other fourth-place finishers for the Lady Flames included Bedell (400, 58.28), Erin Zappia (high jump, 5-3), Alexis Taylor (800, personal-best 2:18.13) and Caroline Parris (3K, 10:42.81).
Sutton (800, personal-best 2:18.27), Kat Bouton (1,500, personal-best 4:53.09), Jessie Proehl (3K, 10:46.91) and Witmer (400 hurdles, 1:07.07) all placed fifth in their respective events.
Liberty's team will be divided between a pair of meets this coming week. A group of Flames and Lady Flames will head to Philadelphia for the Penn Relays, Thursday through Saturday at Franklin Field. Other Liberty athletes will compete in the Highlander Invitational, Friday and Saturday at Patrick D. Cupp Memorial Stadium in Radford, Va.
