Liberty University
Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup
Jones Wins Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup Long Jump
2/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Liberty's Darrel Jones opened his sophomore season in a big way, winning the men's long jump competition at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup, Friday at Penn State's Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track.
Jones' personal-best leap of 24-3.5 accounted for 10 of the Flames' 30 points during Friday's half-dozen events. Liberty currently sits fifth of seven men's teams, with UConn (58) and Cornell (48) leading the way.
The Lady Flames' highest finish of the day also came in the long jump, where Dana Mercer placed fifth. Liberty ranks sixth of eight squads in the women's team standings, tallying 13 points on Friday. Host Penn State owns a commanding 56-point lead over Cornell atop the women's ledger, 98-42.
Men's Day 1 Recap
Jones' 24-3.5 long jump mark shattered his previous best by 11.5 inches and made him the first Flame ever to win the men's long jump title in Liberty's nine appearances at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup. The New York native achieved an IC4A qualifier while jumping to the top of the Big South leaderboard for 2016 and climbing to No. 4 in program history in the event.
Teammate Zach Davis added to Liberty's point total with an eighth-place long jump finish, reaching 22-4.25.
Freshman Jovaine Atkinson burst onto the scene in his first collegiate meet, placing fourth in the men's 60 hurdles final in an IC4A-qualifying time of 8.25 seconds. He broke the Liberty freshman record twice, including his 8.26 effort in the prelims and clocked the fastest time by a Flame since Matt Parker's 8.09 in 2009. Atkinson now ranks No. 1 in the Big South this season and No. 5 on Liberty's all-time list.
Ryan Davis followed in seventh place in the men's 60 hurdles final in 8.40 seconds, following his 8.35 clocking during the prelims.
Azaria Kirwa, another of the Flames' talented freshmen, clocked a 5K time of 14:55.21 for seventh place in his collegiate track debut. Prior to Friday, no Big South runner had broken 15 minutes for the 5K thus far in 2016.
The quartet of Jacob Onifer, Michael Todd, Andrew Garrett and Cameron Francis placed third in the men's distance medley relay in 10:20.04.
Seniors Fred Fulton (60-1.25) and David Scouten (58-5.25) came in eighth and ninth, respectively, in a deep men's weight throw competition. Both of their marks established new season bests.
Women's Day 1 Recap
Six days after long jumping a personal-best 18-11.25, Mercer topped out at 18-5 on Friday for fifth place. Erika Jackson followed with a personal-best 17-10.25 effort, good for eighth place. Both Mercer and Jackson also found success on the track.
Mercer sped to a personal-best 60 dash time of 7.78 seconds, missing out on the final by just 0.01. Meanwhile, Jackson's personal-best 60 hurdles clocking of 9.11 left her just 0.02 out of the final.
Mariel Finger continued her strong sophomore season, pole vaulting 12-4.75 for sixth place. Teammate Audrey Rabe punched her ECAC ticket with an 11-10.75 clearance for 11th place. It represented Rabe's highest pole vault clearance since she went 11-11.75 in her collegiate debut at the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational on Dec. 3, 2014.
All three of the Lady Flames' weight throwers added more than a foot to their personal bests on Friday, led by Dasiana Larson. The sophomore stretched the tape to 55-2.75, placing eighth in the competition and climbing to No. 3 all-time among Lady Flames.
Catherine Oyarzun's 52-1.75 heave earned an 11th-place finish and moves her into sixth place in program history. Meanwhile, Holly Arey threw 50-8, coming in 16th on the day and claiming eighth place on Liberty's all-time list.
The Lady Flames' distance medley relay grouping started out with three consecutive freshmen toting the baton, including Torree Scull, Bailey Reeves and Delaney McDowell. Kat Bouton anchored the team home to a sixth-place finish in 12:19.46, the eighth-fastest time in program history.
Freshman Aryn Embretson crossed the line 10th in the women's 5K. Her time of 18:12.93 was faster than any other Big South 5K clocking this season, entering the weekend.
Saturday's action will begin at 11 a.m., when the men's pole vault, men's shot put, men's high jump and women's high jump go off simultaneously.
