MEET RECAPS: King University Invite & Raleigh Relays

BRISTOL, Tenn./RALEIGH, N.C. - The Mars Hill men's and women's outdoor track and field teams competed at the King University Invite and Raleigh Relays over this past weekend.

MEN'S STORY:

Raleigh Relays – Thursday, March 27^th-Friday, March 28^th

Three athletes from the men's team qualified to compete at the Raleigh Relays this past Thursday & Friday. The Southeast Region Male Field Athlete of the Year, Jesse Shelton, qualified in Shot Put and Discus. Senior Justus Shelton, and freshman Will Wainwright qualified in Javelin.

Wainwright advanced to the finals in Javelin with a NCAA DII Provisional Qualifying and New School Record throw of 59.59m (195' 6"). Wainwright placed ninth overall on the day. Justus Shelton placed 27^th with a throw of 47.58m.

Jesse Shelton placed fifth in Shot Put with a throw of 17.47m. Shelton broke his own MHU Outdoor Shot Put record. Shelton followed up this performance with a seventh place finish in Discus. Shelton threw 53.24m, a new MHU school record. Shelton ranks sixth in the Nation in Division II in Shot Put and 10^th in Discus.

King University Invite – Friday, March 28^th

The rest of the Lion's travelled to King University to compete in the inaugural King Invitational. Several Lions posted personal bests throughout the one-day meet.

Highlights from the meet:

On the Track

Levi Hill picked up the event win in the 110m Hurdles with a personal best 15.9s.

Hunter Philyaw and Malik Laurent set personal bests in the prelims of the 100m sprint. Philyaw crossed the line in 10.85s. Laurent followed close behind with a time of 10.92s. Both qualified for the finals, where both set new personal bests. Philyaw placed fourth overall with a personal best 10.76s. Laurent placed fifth overall with a time of 10.8s.

Distance Crew

Nine Lions competed in the 1500m run. Sean Sanchez led the way, placing third overall with a personal best 4:04.99. Matthew O'Connor placed fifth with a personal best 4:09.06. Braxton Cummings placed eighth with a time of 4:10.54. Brandon McNulty finished 12^th with a personal best 4:13.62. Eli Taylor and Charles Fuerneisen crossed the line nearly side by side. Taylor finishing in a time of 4:14.46. Fuerneisen, a time of 4:14.52. Both personal bests. Grant Richardson, Luke Capps, and Mason Smith all established personal bests as well, Richardson finishing with a time of 4:26.01, Capps a time of 4:36.69, and Smith a time of 4:39.56.

Several Lions competed in the 800m run. Aizen Bell led the way for the Lion's with a seventh place finish. Bell set a new personal best with a time of 2:04.48. Sanchez placed eighth with a time of 2:05.3. O'Connor placed 11^th with a personal best 2:06.71. Cummings placed 14^th with a time of 2:09.41. Taylor ran a personal best 2:10.77, finishing 16^th overall. Fuerneisen placed 17^th with a time of 2:14.58. Smith placed 18^th with a time of 2:17.01. Richardson finished in 21^st with a time of 2:23.93.

In the field

In the Hammer Throw, Iggy Welch placed fifth overall with a personal best throw of 41.98m. Makhi Edgecombe placed 20^th with a personal best 29.95m.

In Discus, Welch led the way for the Lions with a fourth place personal best throw of 41.63m. Ashtin Gainey placed eighth with a personal best 39.38m. Edgecombe placed 22^nd with a throw of 33.23m and Lucas New placed 28^th with a personal best 26.02m.

In Shot Put, Gainey placed second, with an Outdoor best 14.56m. Welch placed 14^th with a mark of 11.96m. Edgecombe placed 17^th with a mark of 10.72m.

Brennon Craig placed ninth in Javelin with a throw of 32.94m.

Hank Bowen competed in High Jump for the first time this season. Bowen placed ninth overall with a jump of 1.7m.

Three Lions competed in Long Jump. Lucas New placed fifth overall with a jump of 6.09m. Hank Bowen jumped a collegiate best, 5.93m. Bowen placed seventh overall. Jaidyn Hicks placed ninth overall with a personal best jump of 5.65m.

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WOMEN'S STORY: 

The women's team traveled to Bristol, Tennessee on Friday, March 28^th, to compete in the King Invitational hosted by King University. The Lions picked up two event wins, several top-8 finishes, and many personal bests throughout the day.

Highlights from the meet:

On the Track

Simone Giggetts picked up the event win in the 100m Hurdles. Giggetts crossed the line in a time of 15.39s.

Alina Mueller placed third in the 100m Hurdles with a time of 16.84s.

Jimena Montero placed fifth in the 200m sprint with a personal best 28.00s.

The women's 4x100m relay, comprised of Montero, Mueller, Giggetts, and Amaya Casiano placed third overall with at time of 52.03s.

Lillie Goodman placed third in the 400m Hurdles with a time of 1:25.22

Three Lions competed in the 3000m run. Grace Adams placed second with a time of 11:21.78s. Lola Korth placed third with a personal best 11:30.96. Ally Boerger placed fourth with a personal best 11:42.29.

Seven Lions competed in the 1500m run.  Adams led the way, finishing fifth with a time of 5:08.36. Natalee Powers placed eighth with a time of 5:14.15. Lindsey Jenkins placed 10^th with a time of 5:14.64. Ally Boerger placed 14^th with a time of 5:28.79. Fernanda Osuna placed 17^th with a time of 5:37.54. Jenna Grabowski placed 22^nd with a time of 6:01.5. Payton Laney placed 23^rd with a time of 6:09.76.

In the 5000m run, Hannah Frazer placed sixth with a time of 19:50.76. Mary Malcolm placed seventh with a time of 20:23.8.

Osuna and Sarah McNeil competed in the 800m run. Osuna placed ninth with a time of 2:41.1. McNeil placed 10^th with a personal best 2:42.11.

In the Field

Cierra Williams picked up the event win in Discus on her fourth attempt with a throw of 36.78m. Williams placed third in Shot Put with a mark of 10.63m.

La'Miya Blake placed third in discus with a throw of 34.09m. Blake placed fourth in Shot Put with a mark of 10.62m.

In Hammer Throw, Kayla Rice threw a personal best 33.9m. Rice placed eighth overall.

Maya Adams placed sixth in Javelin with a throw of 20.84m.

Three Lions competed in Long Jump. Amaya Casiano placed eighth with a jump of 4.66m. Maya Adams placed 10^th with a jump of 4.37m. Jimena Montero placed 11^th with a personal best jump of 4.17m.

Meet Results:

Raleigh Relays: https://flashresults.com/2025_Meets/Outdoor/03-27_RaleighRelays/index.htm

King Invitational: https://tn.milesplit.com/meets/665022-king-university-invitational-2025/results

Next up: The Lions travel to Knoxville, Tennessee on April 4^th and 5^th to compete in the Tennessee Invite hosted by the University of Tennessee.