Salem, Va. – The University of Lynchburg indoor track & field teams sent athletes to Blacksburg and Salem over the weekend to compete against local competition as the regular season unravels.
On Friday night, Chasen Hunt opened his indoor campaign in the 3000m run at the Virginia Tech Invitational, placing sixth with an 8:12.13 finish. The sophomore fell six seconds shy of his 8:06 personal best from the 2024 indoor season in Boston. Hunt finished 14th at the NCAA XC Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. in his most recent performance before competing in Blacksburg.
Teammate Tor Hotung-Davidsen opened his season with the mile, clocking 4:12.33 for 15th. The two-time 800m All-American hopes to continue improving after missing a large portion of last indoor season due to injury.
The remainder of the team competed at the Finn Pincus Invitational hosted by Roanoke College on Friday and Saturday. Several athletes qualified from Friday's sprint prelims to compete in the finals on Saturday afternoon.
Tristan Wright continued his reign over the record book by improving his 60m dash school record to 6.85 in the semifinal round. The freshman previously clocked 6.88 at the Burg Open to tie his record mark from the beginning of the season. Wright placed fifth in the finals with a 6.92 result.
Additionally, Micah Leech qualified for the 60m hurdle finals following Friday's prelims. In the first round, Leech improved his 8.89 personal best to 8.56 with a blistering result. The heptathlete finished eighth in finals with a time of 8.82.
In the men's 600m dash, Michael Hamm placed fifth (1:28.44), while Jacob Hodnett placed eighth (1:29.16). While this event is not contested at the NCAA championships, this opportunity granted several sprinters the chance to expand beyond their normal race distances and compete in multiple events.
Hamm also placed third in the men's 400m dash on Saturday, clocking 50.48.
Jamison Mantooth earned a spot on the podium in the men's mile, crossing the finish line in third place with 4:27.36 on the clock. Peter Morales (4:38.48) and Tyler Young (4:38.66) finished 10th and 11th, respectively.
For the women's squad, Rylee Turner crafted a new personal best in the 60m dash, crossing the line in 8.15 in the semis for 16th. Turner also finished in 27.50 for 24th in the 200m dash.
In the women's 600m, Anna Miller ran 1:51.66 to place fourth, followed by her teammate Samaria Little who clocked 1:51.81 to finish sixth.
Freshman Lainey Hallan placed seventh in the 800m run with a 2:38.78 collegiate debut in the event.
The Hornets also found success in several of the jumping events. In the triple jump, Demetri Hinton earned second with a 44' 11½" (13.70m) mark. Elijah Rose clinched the 13th-best mark in DIII in the high jump with a 6' 6" (1.98m) result. Freshman Jaren Lee earned fifth with a 6' 4" (1.93m) leap.
Lynchburg's pole vaulters garnered top-ten results, with Micah Leech and Julian Powell each vaulting 14' 1.75" (4.31m) for fifth. Cameron Weber earned eighth with a 10' 11.75" (3.35m) mark.
The indoor squads return home next weekend to compete at the Brant Tolsma Invitational on Friday, Jan. 24 and Saturday, Jan 25.
For results from the Virginia Tech Invitational, click here.
For results from the Finn Pincus Invitational at Roanoke College, click here.
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