ATLANTA, GA. --- Mississippi College Track and Field team had an exceptional weekend at the Georgia Tech Invitational in Atlanta, Georgia. The Choctaws came up with numerous event wins, top GSC and NCAA DII performances, and even came away with three school records.
School Records:
Lauren Wallace, the current 1500 meter school record holder for women, shattered her record with an outstanding performance at Georgia Tech. The Lady Choctaw finished the distance in an unbelievable 4:26.85, placing her at No. 2 in the GSC and a new NCAA DII No. 20, along with bettering her school record by over 2 seconds.
Bre Bell was back at it again for another school record time in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. Bell showed an incredible performance against some of the nation's best to finish in fifth place, in a time of 10:52.46. This is a new GSC No. 3 and NCAA No. 24, to go with her 4-second school record.
Cole Benoit, another current school record holder in the 1500 meter, showed a beautifully run 3:44.35. This new school record is a lifetime best by just over a half second and puts Benoit at No. 8 in NCAA DII and a GSC No. 2.
Top 10 Marks:
The men's Friday night crew also showed great performances.
Braedon Methvin, making the 12 and a half laps look easy, ran 14:30.52 in the process for a new No. 6 all-time.
Bryan Puckett threw the shot to improve on his No. 2 mark of 15.57 meters, a lifetime best for the freshman. On the ladies' side,
Haley Hall started the fun with a 2:13.69 for a section win and No. 4 all-time. Alongside Hall was
Bre Bell, who ran the 800 in a time of 2:18.51, placing her at a new No. 7 all-time. The Saturday session on the men's side was also exciting.
Oliver Ollesch improved on his 400-meter Hurdles mark, running 54.44 to cement himself at No. 9 all-time. Jake Keese came alive in the discus event, throwing 46.24 meters for another new No. 9 all-time program mark.
Event Wins:
Three of the most exciting performances for the Choctaws all resulted in event wins. It started Friday afternoon with
Matthew Coleman continuing his undefeated season, with a win and a mark of 62.10 meters.
Jan Lukas Becker continued the winning on Friday night with a veteran type performance in the men's 5,000 meter. He covered the track in a time of 14:09.12 for the win. The last event of the weekend and perhaps the most exciting was the men's 4x400 meter relay. The Choctaw team of
Niklas Klei,
Wesley Gibbs,
Gabe Hodson, and
Grayson Foster ran 3:10.71 for the win, with a walkdown from Foster in the last 100 meters.
Up Next:
Catch the Choctaws next Friday night at the Mike McMillan Twilight meet, hosted at Mississippi College for another thrilling night of action.
Follow The Choctaws:
For complete coverage of Mississippi College Track & Field, follow the Choctaws on social media @GoChoctaws_XCTF(Twitter) and @gochoctaws_xctf (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mississippi College athletics at gochoctaws.com.
