Spring Track and Field Season Starts on a Positive Note for Flyers at UNCW Seahawk Invitational
The Sandhills Community College Track and Field team posted results at the season-opening UNCW Seahawk Invitational last Saturday in Wilmington that qualify five Flyers to compete in six events at the NJCAA Division III Championships in May.
Against a field of NCAA Division I, II and III competition, sophomore Daniel Taylor qualified in the 5,000 and 1,500 meter runs. Also for the Flyer men, sophomore Daniel Hagen met the qualifying standard in the 3,000 meter steeplechase.
Three Lady Flyers are also assured a spot in the field at the national championships in Utica, NY on May 9-11. Sophomore Claudette Smith qualified in the 400 meter hurdles, sophomore Enya Dewars qualified in the 3,000 meter steeplechase and freshman Brianna Spencer made it in the 800 meter run.
In the first year of track and field at Sandhills, the Flyer men finished fifth and the women ninth at the 2018 national championships.
"We should get two more qualifiers next week and a few more the next," Flyers' coach Jeff Moody said following the team's workout on Wednesday. "Then we'll be ready to rock and roll and work on some times."
Worley in the decathlon, and Emily Doorey in the heptathlon, were seeking to earn the points required to qualify in those events at this week's Bill Webb Combined Events meet held at High Point University on Thursday and Friday. Both earned All-American honors in those events in Utica last year with Worley winning the national title and Doorey coming in third.
The next full meet is the Trojan Challenge at Mount Olive College on March 29-30.
One of the newcomers to Moody's lineup is Spencer who competed for Union Pines High School before moving with her family to Chesterfield, VA. She is living with friends from her church while attending Sandhills. She was encouraged by her coaches at Union Pines, Nat Carter and Eric Blackwell, to join the team.
On Saturday she finished fifth in the 800 with a qualifying time that in the early season is No.1 in NJCAA Division III.
"I figured if I came to one practice I'd be hooked," she said. "I was very nervous, but it was a cool experience being able to run with DI and DII colleges. My best race is the 800 and in the next meet I'll probably try the 400."
Performing well in his first 3,000 meter steeplechase was Hagen, a South View High School grad, who was the second-highest finisher for the Flyers (22nd place) at the national cross country meet last November. He came in third on Saturday with a time that is also No. 1 right now on the NJCAA qualifying list. Each lap on the track includes barriers and a water jump.
"I saw some of my other teammates running in it and it looked like fun so I gave it a try," Hagen said. "The toughest part is getting over the barriers when you are feeling the fatigue. I plan to run in at least two events at nationals because we need the points."
Moody calls Hagen a big-time competitor.
"In cross country Daniel always seemed to be in the back and worked his way up," the coach said. "That's classic steeplechase. He was made for that race."
On the women's side, Dewars, who competed in the 1,500 at last year's national meet, and teammate Sara Lindell, are 1-2 on the NJCAA steeplechase qualifying list following the UNCW meet. Lindell earned points for the Flyers with a fifth place finish in Utica a year ago.
The Flyer roster currently includes 13 men and 10 women. Leading the returnees is Taylor who finished first at the NJCAA National Cross Country Championship in November after winning both the 5,000 and 10,000 meter runs at last year's nationals.
His time in Wilmington on Saturday in the 1,500 was just three seconds off the winning time in Utica last May.
"Daniel wants to run in a third event at nationals," Moody said. "That's going to give him about 11 miles of racing at nationals."
Team scores were not kept at the UNCW meet. Following are the SCC national qualifiers: Women – 400 hurdles – Claudette Smith 1:20.03; 800 – Spencer 2:34.64; 3,000 steeplechase – Dewars 13:48.54; Men – 1,500- Taylor 4;10.4; 5,000 - Taylor 15:48.59; 400 3000 steeplechase – Hagen 10:32.09.
C. Bergmann