Charlottesville, Va. – The University of Lynchburg outdoor track & field teams sent athletes to three locations on Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18 to finalize regular-season times ahead of the postseason.

The weekend featured new top-five program marks from Alex Jordan and Kaitlyn Ruiz, along with improvements in conference seeding across several notable events.

Virginia Challenge (Charlottesville, Va.)

One week removed from anchoring the women's 4x400-meter relay team to a program record, Kaitlyn Ruiz clocked the second-fastest women's 400-meter time in school history with a 57.04 performance for 37th. Ruiz only trails Christina Washington's 56.27 mark for the fastest time at Lynchburg.

Lamont Victoria elevated to second place in the men's high jump, clearing 6' 11" (2.11m). Victoria has secured 6' 11" or higher in three consecutive performances throughout the heart of the outdoor season. Following behind, Jamarcus Brown set a 6' 7" (2.01m) mark for 11th in the competition.

On Friday, Josh Fretwell claimed 13th in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a 9:38.54 result. Rylee Turner rounded out Lynchburg's performances at UVA with the women's 200-meter dash, placing 33rd and registering a 25.62 time.

Bryan Clay Invitational (Azusa, Calif.)

Despite toeing the line for an 11:42 p.m. PDT start time at Cougar Stadium, Alex Jordan rallied to a 14:07.19 personal-best in the men's 5,000-meter run invitational to finish 14th in his section. Jordan is the third 5k finisher in program history to break the 14:10 mark, along with Chasen Hunt's 13:41.96 Division III record and Frank Csorba's 13:56.44.

Jordan's trip to the West Coast marked the second Pacific adventure for the Hornets this outdoor season. In early April, Chasen Hunt clocked 14:00.58 in the men's 5k at the Stanford Invitational.

WildCat Invitational (Lynchburg, Va.)

Bronson Andrasz was one of four Lynchburg athletes to clinch an individual victory at the WildCat Invitational, hosted by Randolph College. The first-year Hornet cleared 14' 11" (4.55m) in the men's pole vault to seal a personal best and win the competition.

Maggie Perea placed third in the women's pole vault with an 8' ½" (2.45m) vault. 

Kenzie Swicegood led the throws team with a first-place performance in the women's discus, hurling 127' 5" (38.85m). Haylee Smith placed second after tossing a 125' 7" (38.28m) personal best, along with securing second in the women's javelin (123' 5" or 37.62m).

Daven Lacayo registered a season best in the men's long jump, leaping to a 21' 6" (6.55m) mark for second place. Jennifer Koumondji placed fifth in the women's 100-meter dash (12.74) and women's long jump (15' 9" or 4.80m). 

In his 3,000-meter steeplechase debut, Carter Hudson bested the field with a 10:32.87 result to win the race by 13 seconds.

Delaney Saulsbury and Georgie Lanham secured the top two positions in the women's 5,000-meter run. Saulsbury paced to a 20:00.92 finish for first, while Lanham crossed the line in 21:46.86 for second.

Joey John accelerated to second place in the men's 800-meter dash, clocking 1:57.88. Bradley Bernard finished in fourth place with a 1:59.16 personal best, recording back-to-back performances under the 2:00 mark for the first time in his career.

The Hornets will travel to Harrisonburg, Va. on Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25 to compete at the 2026 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by Eastern Mennonite University for the second straight year.

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--LYN--