Winchester, Va. – The Lynchburg indoor men's and women's track & field team's young talent impressed at the Shenandoah Holiday Kickoff as 11 newcomers posted top-10 results in the team's final competition before winter break.

While first-year athletes delivered dominant performances on the sprints side, junior thrower Kenzie Swicegood bolstered her resume with two first-place finishes in throwing events. In the women's weight throw, Swicegood posted a 55' 1" (16.79m) personal-best performance to dominate the field and come within two feet of Logan Babbs' 56' 11" (17.35m) school record.

Swicegood also secured the victory in the women's shot put with a 38' 3¼" (11.67m) throw for first place. 

In each throwing event, five Hornets submitted top-eight results.. In the women's weight throw, Kya Rucker claimed third place with a 45' 10¾" (13.99m) performance, while Dajanaeia Johnson clinched third in the women's shot put by setting a 33' 10½" (10.33m) mark.

Haylee Smith, Alyssa McGregor and Kaylee Maxfield also emerged into scoring positions during their Hornet debuts for the throws team.

Lynchburg also placed a pair of sprinters in the 60m dash finals following stellar displays in prelims. 

Michael Coley advanced with a 7.08m result in his opening race, clocking 7.07 for fifth in the 60m dash final. First-year Brianna Taylor registered an 8.07 women's 60m dash prelim result to qualify for finals, crossing the line in 8.06 for fourth place in her second race.

Coley also competed in the men's long jump, leaping 21' 5" (6.53m) for fourth place in the field. Taylor doubled with the 200m dash, finishing fifth with a 27.41 showing.

In the 60m hurdles, Ardarian Diamond posted 8.74 in his Hornets debut to finish second overall. First-year Audrey Lacombe finished seventh on the women's side, clocking 10.49 in prelims and 10.73 in finals. In the women's triple jump, Lacombe occupied fourth place with a leap of 33' 2¾" (10.13m).

Ayeshia Watson headlined an impressive showing from Lynchburg's jumpers, placing second in the women's triple jump with a 35' 7¾" (10.87m) performance. In the long jump, Watson posted 15' 1" (4.60m) for sixth in the field. In high jump, Catalina Puglisi opened her sophomore campaign with a second-place finish, clearing the 4' 7¾" (1.42m) bar.

Chris Watkins earned two top-10 finishes for the men's team, posting 6' 0" (1.83m) in the men's high jump for fourth place and 18' 6¼" (5.65m) in the men's long jump for 10th. Sean O'Loughlin cleared 12' 5½" (3.80m) in the men's pole vault for second.

To round out Lynchburg's top-five performers, Noah Glenn secured fifth in the men's weight throw with a 41' 5½" (12.64m) toss for fourth, and the men's 4x400m relay team crossed the line in 3:38.08 for fifth.

The Hornets concluded action for the 2025 calendar year and will return to action on Friday, Jan. 9 when they host the Burg Open at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex.

For full results from Sunday's competition, click here.

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--LYN--