MONTEVALLO, Ala.- Looking to build off of their solid season-opener at Mississippi College, Huntingdon Track and Field continued to show promise at the Falcon Classic hosted by the University of Montevallo.
The men's team turned in several strong performances at the meet hosted by the University of Montevallo, highlighted by a first-place finish from junior hurdler Rory Gilroy and multiple scoring efforts across track and field events.
Gilroy led the way for the Hawks with a victory in the 110-meter hurdles, crossing the line in 15.03 seconds to claim the top spot and earn 10 points for Huntingdon. He followed that performance with another standout effort in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing third with a season-best time of 54.94 seconds to add six more points.
Sophomore Javerious Askew also delivered a strong all-around meet. Askew recorded a personal-best mark of 6.88 meters (22-7) to finish fifth in the long jump and earn four team points. He later added a seventh-place finish in the triple jump with a mark of 13.81 meters (45-3.75) and competed on the track as well, setting a personal best of 23.41 seconds in the 200-meter dash.
In the relay events, the Hawks picked up additional points in the 4x400-meter relay. The quartet of Gilroy, Gavin McAbee, Cameron Evans, and William Mann placed fifth with a time of 3:35.35 to secure five team points.
McAbee also posted solid performances individually, finishing 19th in the 400-meter dash with a time of 53.57 seconds while Evans recorded a personal-best time of 55.37 seconds in the same event. Mann contributed a personal-best time of 2:02.43 in the 800 meters before returning to anchor the scoring relay.
In the field events, sophomore Marcus Malone Jr. set a personal best in the triple jump with a leap of 13.09 meters (42-11.50). Freshman Jackson Rinehart also recorded personal bests in both the triple jump and long jump, while senior Ethan Chuck led the Hawks in the javelin with a throw of 45.16 meters (148-2).
Huntingdon also saw personal-best efforts from Hayes Brockett in both the 800 meters and 1500 meters.
The women's team posted several strong individual performances at the University of Montevallo meet, highlighted by a top-five finish in the 10,000 meters and multiple scoring efforts in the throwing events and relays.
Junior distance runner Michaela Moore led the Hawks with a fourth-place finish in the 10,000 meters, crossing the line in 44:18.06 to earn five points for Huntingdon. Moore also competed in the 1500 meters, finishing with a time of 5:51.81.
Freshman Adrianna Morning delivered a pair of personal-best performances in the sprint events. Morning posted a time of 28.94 seconds in the 200 meters and later recorded a personal-best 1:07.11 in the 400 meters.
In the field events, Huntingdon saw multiple scoring finishes in the hammer throw. Freshman Amberly Bennett placed seventh with a throw of 31.87 meters (104-6) to score two points, while Trinity Treadway followed closely behind in eighth with a mark of 31.49 meters (103-3) to add another point.
Treadway also led the Hawks in the shot put with a season-best throw of 9.40 meters (30-10.25) and competed in the discus and javelin. Bennett added a 14th-place finish in the discus and competed in both the shot put and javelin as well, while freshman Toni Taylor recorded a personal-best throw of 26.06 meters in the discus.
On the track, the Hawks picked up additional points in the 4x400-meter relay. The team of Adrianna Morning, Evie Garrett, Sydney Thompson, and Hadyn Owens finished eighth with a time of 5:07.29 to add five points to the team total. Huntingdon's distance group also competed in the 800- and 1500-meter events, with Evie Garrett, Sydney Thompson, and Hadyn Owens each contributing season-best performances and valuable depth for the Hawks.
The Hawks will look to keep rolling on March 20th and 21st at the Emory Spring Break Classic.