MHU continues strong season at Liberty Open
LYNCHBURG, Va. - The Mars Hill men's indoor track and field team traveled to Lynchburg, Virginia to compete in the Liberty Open hosted by Liberty University. Over 30 colleges representing all NCAA Divisions along with several unattached athletes, including former Olympians, competed in what was an exciting two-day meet.
Event Wins/Heat Wins/Top Finishers
Jesse Shelton won Shot Put, breaking his own MHU Shot Put record along the way with a throw of 17.60m. Shelton currently ranks 12th in the Nation in NCAA DII with this throw, 1st in the South Atlantic Conference and 1st in the South East Region.
Jared Benain placed second overall in Triple Jump with a season best 14.27m. Benain ranks seventh in South Atlantic Conference Standings
Will Wainwright won his flight of Weight Throw with a throw of 12.70m.
Iggy Welch won his flight of Shot Put with a personal best throw of 13.69m. Welch placed 22nd overall and currently ranks 12th in SAC standings.
Sean Sanchez ran a great 5000m race Friday night, winning his heat of 16 with a personal best 15:25.88. Sanchez placed 13th overall out of 69 runners and currently ranks 23rd in SAC Standings. Top 32 runners qualify for conference championships.
Mason Smith ran a great 800m race, winning his heat with a time of 2:12.69.
Additional Highlights
Hunter Philyaw set personal bests in the 60m dash and 200m sprint. Philyaw ran 7.11s in the 60m and 22.94s in the 200m.
Aiden Burton established a collegiate best 23.47s in the 200m sprint.
Justin Kwakye set a new personal best in the 60m with a time of 7.32s and set a collegiate best in the 200m with a time of 24.01s.
Levi Hill competed in the 60m hurdles. Hill finished with a new personal best 8.95s. Hill currently ranks 18th in the South Atlantic Conference.
Connor Cecil ran an indoor best 54.42s in the 400m sprint.
Aizen Bell set a personal best in the 400m sprint with a time of 55.47s.
Eli Taylor set a new personal best in the 5000m run, shaving 12 seconds off his previous best. Taylor finished in a time of 15:49.02 and currently ranks 30th in SAC Standings. Top 32 qualify for Indoor Conference Championships.
Charles Fuerneisen PR'd by 20 seconds in the 5000m run, finishing with a time of 15:55.43. Fuerneisen ranks 31st in SAC standings.
Grant Richardson set a personal best 2:51 in the 1000m run.
Luke Capps finished with a personal best 2:57.33 in the 1000m run on Friday night. Capps turned around the next morning and set a new personal best in the Mile with a time of 4:54.96.
Sean Sanchez, Eli Taylor, Brandon McNulty, Charles Fuerneisen, and Matthew O'Connor all set Personal Bests in the men's 3000m run Saturday afternoon. Sanchez led the way, finishing with a time of 8:59.63. O'Connor finished close behind with a time of 9:00.83. McNulty and Taylor finished nearly side by side with times of 9:04.67 and 9:04.91. Fuerneisen finished a few strides behind with a time of 9:06.64.
Meet results: https://www.goinguplive.com/brt/2025-liberty-open/meet-301/schedule.html
Next up, your Lions travel to JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, NC to compete in the JDL Last Chance Meet. This will be an opportunity for any Lions looking to qualify for Indoor Conference Champs, which takes place March 1st and 2nd back at JDL.
