Florida Tech Opens Day 1 of PBC Track & Field Championships With Eight Medals

FIT collects three gold medals

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – The Florida Tech track & field teams had an incredible start to the 2017 Peach Belt Conference Track & Field Championships on Thursday, as the Panthers raked in eight total medals, including three golds, and 13 top five finishes.

Sophomore Lukas Hassler took fifth overall in the men’s 1500m run with a personal best time of 3:58.16.

In the women’s 100m dash prelims, Kylee Cobbs-Marcus (12.06) and Cieanna Nichols (12.28) finished second and seventh overall, respectively, and qualified for Thursday’s final.

Nicardo Cameron’s time of 10.63 in the men’s 100m dash prelims qualified the junior for the final.

JoeMarie Reid (58.93) and Rachel Tobin (59.52) ended fifth and seventh in the women’s 400m dash prelims, respectively, qualifying for the night’s final heat.

A pair of Panthers impressed in the prelims of the men’s 400m dash and qualified for Thursday’s final. Terence Brookins garnered the top seed with a run of 48.77, while Ryan Harrington grabbed third overall in the prelim at a time of 49.01.

Earning the first medal for FIT at the championships was Maia Carter, who took the bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles with a run of 1:03.11. Nova Southeastern’s Shakira Bartley (1:01.37) garnered the gold in the competition, followed by the silver medalist Heather Hammett (1:02.35) of Augusta.

Junior Brandon Stern finished sixth in the final of the men’s 400m hurdles, crossing the line with a time of 56.26.

Sophomore Logan Donley picked up the Crimson and Gray’s second medal of the first day, collecting the bronze in the men’s javelin with a throw of 51.75m. Stefan Matula and Akeim David of NSU took the top two spots in the competition with attempts of 53.45m and 51.93m, respectively.

Seniors Nathan Knox and Garrett Keith finished fourth and seventh in the men’s hammer throw with long tosses of 42.12m and 39.20m, respectively.

Freshmen Ondrej Rapp and Joshua Norville both podiumed in the men’s long jump final. Rapp corralled the gold medal with a leap of 7.50m, while Norville garnered the bronze on his attempt of 7.10m.

In the pole vault, freshman James Krenger took fifth overall in the competition with a best attempt of 4.10m.

Cobbs-Marcus collected the gold medal in the women’s 100m dash finals with a school record, and provisional qualifying time, of 11.79. Teammate Nichols ended fifth in the competition with a run of 12.15.

Cameron took the silver in the men’s 100m dash finals with a school record and provisional qualifying mark of 10.49, finishing just .04 behind Xavier Matthews (10.45) of Columbus State.

Tobin ended third overall in the women’s 400m dash with a time of 57.07, besting Sierra Glenn of Clayton State by .21 seconds.

In probably the most exciting event of the day for the Panthers, Harrington and Brookins finished first and second in the men’s 400m dash finals. The teammates were neck and neck the entire way down the track, and Harrington (47.46) beat out his teammate (47.47) by the narrowest of margins.

The PBC Track & Field Championships continue Friday.

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