Lynchburg, Va. – The Lynchburg indoor track & field teams made the 10-minute trek across town to Liberty University for the Liberty Kickoff meet to begin the 2024-2025 season.

Competition remained stiff with several DI teams attending, but the Hornets set the stage for a successful season with a chance to earn their fourth-consecutive ODAC title.

This meet is the only competition on the schedule for December as Lynchburg prepares to enter a training block over winter break.

For the Lynchburg men, Tristan Wright headlined the show with a 6.88 60m performance in prelims to seal the school record in his first race as a Hornet. The speedster from Franklin County High School placed seventh in the final with a 6.94 performance and went toe-to-toe with several DI athletes. Jaylen Jones placed 20th in the 60m with a 7.05 finish.

The men's team also placed a pair of Hornets inside the top ten of the men's 400m against a highly competitive field. Jacob Hodnett opened his senior campaign with a 50.03 time for eighth, while Ferrum transfer Michael Hamm crossed the line in 50.37 for 10th. Last season, Hodnett competed as a member of the distance medley relay squad that won the indoor national title.

In the men's 200m, Hamm finished 17th (22.35), Jaylen Jones placed 18th (22.36), and Tristan Wright placed 25th (22.52).

Mercer Alden set a 14-second personal best in the men's 3k with an 8:47.82 result for 11th after missing the cross country season.

Freshman Demetri Hinton placed 11th in the men's triple jump (13.74m or 45' 0 ¾"), while Elijah Rose placed 10th in the high jump (1.95m or 6' 4 ¾"). Micah Leech finished sixth in the men's heptathlon with 4563 points.  

On the women's side, Betsy Mohnkern ran 9.16 in the 60m hurdles and 26.76 in the 200m to begin her graduate season. Junior Rylee Turner made her season debut with a personal-best 8.17 finish in the 60m, along with a 26.55 200m finish after missing a significant portion of last year due to injury.

For the throws squad, Kenzie Swicegood placed 14th in the shotput with an 11.02m (36' 2") mark. In the weight throw, Kya Rucker (13.01m/42' 8") placed 15th and Madeline Brainard (11.73m/38' 5¾") placed 22nd.

Cameron Weber started her sophomore campaign with an eighth-place finish in the pole vault, setting a 10' 4" mark. Margo Fox finished third in group B of the women's pentathlon with 2927 points.

Following a meet with several athletes running multiple events, the Hornets will have some athletes compete at the Shenandoah Holiday Kickoff Open on Sunday, December 8.

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--LYN--