NEWS

Lots of Wildcats' highlights from the Carolina Challenge.

Smith Takes 60-Meter Hurdle Crown at Carolina Challenge

Day 1 – Junior Jayden Smith continued his winning ways by taking first place in the 60-meter hurdles at the Carolina Challenge hosted by the University of South Carolina on Friday afternoon. In total, seven Wildcats competed on the first day of the event. 

The Richmond, Virginia native followed up his top finish from over a month ago with another first-place sprint on Friday. Smith dominated both the prelims and the finals after running the top qualifying time of 7.87 seconds to begin the day. He then crossed the finish line with a winning time of 7.82 seconds, edging Florida A&M's Joseph DeRosier, who crossed in 7.88 seconds. Senior hurdler, Isaac Bynum also made the finals and took home fourth place after he stopped the clock in 8.05 seconds. 

Also turning in solid performances was the trio of John Cooper, Liam Hagerty, and Grahm Breiter in the 3,000-meters. Cooper, a freshman from Santa Clara, California snagged second place when he crossed the line in 8:30.93. Fellow freshman Liam Hagerty wasn't far behind as he finished in third with a mark of 8:35.54. Breiter took sixth place after recording a time of 8:47.04. 

Senior sprinter Chinedu Okeke made it to the semifinals of the 60-meter dash after clocking in at 7-seconds flat in the prelims. He then ran a 6.99 in the semis marking the second time in as many outings the Bronx native went sub-seven in the event. Okeke also finished 12th in the long jump with a long of 6.33 meters. 

Deacon’s 1000m Win Highlights Day One at Carolina Challenge

After nearly two months away from competition, the Davidson women's indoor track & field team returned to action Friday at the Carolina Challenge hosted by the University of South Carolina.

The two-day meet will conclude tomorrow with events beginning at 11 a.m. Live results will be available at AdkinsTrack.com.

Davidson, which was last in action Dec. 2, set multiple personal records on day one of the annual event, highlighted by freshman Katie Deacon's first-place finish in the 1000m with a time of 3:02.63.

Sprinter Aleia Gisolfi-McCready put together solid performances in the 60m hurdles (9.30) and 200m (25.65), while first-year vaulters Grace Zagoria and Cameron Unice cleared 11-04.5 (3.47m).

Hannah Casey competed in three events Friday, including the long jump, where she recorded a mark of 17-07.5 (5.37m).

In addition to the Wildcats and host Gamecocks, Belmont Abbey, Benedict, Charlotte, The Citadel, Claflin, Coastal Carolina, College of Charleston, Columbia International, Converse, Coppin State, Florida A&M, Furman, Georgia State, Lander, Limestone, North Greenville, SCAD Savannah, South Carolina, UNC Asheville, UNC Pembroke, Wingate and Winthrop are competing inside the Carolina Indoor Track & Field Complex. 

Berquist Shatters PR in Mile; Distance Medley Takes Title

Along with Anne Berquist running a sub-5 minute mile, Davidson's distance medley relay team captured the title to highlight day two of competition for the women's indoor track & field team Saturday at the Carolina Challenge hosted by the University of South Carolina.

A junior from Barrington, Ill. / Charlotte, N.C., Berquist finished in 4:58.48, shattering her previous personal record by almost 23 seconds to finish fifth out of 24 runners.

The Wildcats picked up their second crown of the weekend with Bella Godoy, Sophia Hood, Jocelyn Millican and Frances Whitworth teaming up to win the distance medley with a time of 11:52.73.

Amelia Monohan (800m / 2:17.46) and Hallie Stewart (3000m / 10:23.98) also net new personal bests in their respective events for the Wildcats.

In addition to the Wildcats and host Gamecocks, Belmont Abbey, Benedict, Charlotte, The Citadel, Claflin, Coastal Carolina, College of Charleston, Columbia International, Converse, Coppin State, Florida A&M, Furman, Georgia State, Lander, Limestone, North Greenville, SCAD Savannah, South Carolina, UNC Asheville, UNC Pembroke, Wingate and Winthrop competed inside the Carolina Indoor Track & Field Complex this weekend.

Muldoon Wins 800 as 'Cats Wrap Up at Carolina Challenge

Day 2 – Junior Jack Muldoon won the 800-meters and the distance medley relay team took first place to highlight day two of competiton at the Carolina Challenge on Saturday.

Muldoon, a third-year vet from Severna Park, Md., captured his first top finish since 2021 after crossing the finish line in 1:52.39. It marked his fastest career indoor time in the event and marked his first top finish since winning the 800 at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick-off back in 2021. It was also the seventh-fastest indoor mark in program history.

Also taking home a first-place finish was Davidson's distance medley relay team. The combinations of Liam Hagerty, Ryan Harris, Muldoon, and John Cooper took the top spot by recording a time of 10:19.42. Hagerty raced around the track and finished the 1,200-meter leg in 3:08 then passed the baton to Ryan Harris, who finished the 400-meter portion in 52.80. From there, Muldoon ran 1:56.83 in the 800-meter leg before handing off to freshman John Cooper who sealed the deal with a 4:21.70 split in the mile.

Senior Josh Hardin turned in a top-five finish in the 400-meters after he opened the new calendar year with a 48.79 which was good enough for fourth place, and Jayden Smith ran a 22.49 in the 200-meters.

Up Next
Davidson will be back on the track next weekend at the Camel City Invite in Winston-Salem as well as the Terrier Classic at Boston University.