NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Both Auburn track and field teams impressed in their indoor season debuts as the men's side that racked up five of Auburn's six event wins over the weekend at the Commodore Challenge at Vanderbilt University.
"I was really pleased with our efforts this weekend," Tigers head coach Ralph Spry said. "We came in and we really competed hard and were able to get the ball rolling for indoor season. I was especially impressed with our underclassmen. They showed great focus and performed very well, many of them in their first collegiate meet. Our team is off to a great start, and we've put ourselves in a good position heading to Carolina next weekend."
The Tigers' most outstanding performance of the meet came via the veteran sprinter trio of Christopher Grant, Dante Brown and Jason Reese as they dominated the men's 60m dash, finishing one, two, three in prelims before a repeat performance in finals with Grant claiming gold (6.68), Brown silver (6.69) and Reese bronze (6.78). Reese raced his way to a new personal best while Grant and Brown were both less than a tenth of a second away from their own personal records.
It was a pair of Kyles doing the heavy lifting for the men's throwers on day one with Kyle Brown and Kyle Moison taking the top two spots in the weight throw. Brown threw for 20.46m/67'1.5" to take first and Moison threw for 18.83m/61'9.5", a personal record, to lock down second.
All-SEC senior James Courson picked up exactly where he left off last season with a dominating win in the men's pole vault Friday evening. Courson cleared 5.25m/17'2.75" to seal the victory, outperforming the second-place finisher by 0.6m/1'11.5".
Senior Presley Weems closed Friday's action with win on behalf of the Auburn women, setting not only a personal best, but also a Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility record in the 1000m with a final time of 2:46.03.
Freshman thrower Quinten Wynn opened Saturday's action with another event victory for Auburn, this time in shot put. The Kimberly, Wisconsin native threw for 17.25m/56'7.25" on his very first attempt to lock down first place in his collegiate debut.
The sixth and final Tiger win on the weekend came in the men's 3000m. Sophomore Ryan Kinnane continued to build off a strong cross country season with a personal-best 8:16.65 to outrace the competition. Senior Tommy McDonough finished on the heels of Kinnane, also posting a PR with a time of 8:16.88.
Other impressive performances came from Niya Benton-Andrews and Elise Heddens in the women's 60m hurdles. Benton-Andrews claimed bronze in what was her collegiate debut for the event while Heddens claimed sixth, making the finals in her first ever collegiate race.
Freshman distance runner Hallie Porterfield also finished top-four in the women's mile to kickstart her collegiate indoor career, posting a lifetime best by over six seconds (4:59.21).
Up Next
The men and women of Auburn track & field venture to Columbia, S.C. to compete in the Carolina Challenge on January 21-22.
COMMODORE CHALLENGE
Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility
Nashville, Tenn.
January 14-15, 2022
MEN'S RESULTS
60m
1. Christopher Grant 6.68
2. Dante Brown 6.69
3. Jason Reese 6.78*
60m Hurdles
3. Tray Reynolds 8.21*
4. David Edmondson 8.49*
300m
12. Caden Ciul 37.38
1000m
7. Cooper Atkins 2:28.74*
3000m
1. Ryan Kinnane 8:16.65*
2. Tommy McDonough 8:16.88*
7. Carson Bedics 8:23.14*
High Jump
2. Dontavious Hill 2.13m/6'11.75"
3. TJ Funches 2.00m/6'6.75"
Pole Vault
1. James Courson 5.25m/17'2.75"
NH. Matthew Asplund ---
Long Jump
7. David Edmondson 6.68m/21'11"
Weight Throw
1. Kyle Brown 20.46m/67'1.5"
2. Kyle Moison 18.83m/61'9.5"*
Shot Put
1. Quinten Wynn 17.25m/56'7.25"*
5. Ethan Richter 15.94m/52'3.75"*
WOMEN'S RESULTS
60m Hurdles
3. Niya Benton-Andrews 8.60*
6. Elise Heddens 9.14 (9.07 prelims*)
X. Keira McCarrell 9.16 (prelims)
300m
15. Niya Benton-Andrews 41.48*
800m
3. Jen Dietrich 2:16.73
1000m
1. Presley Weems 2:46.03*^
Mile
4. Hallie Porterfield 4:59.21*
7. Hannah Thuss 5:08.08*
3000m
7. Sara Pacer 10:22.08*
High Jump
8. Allison Tanner 1.65m/5'5"
12. Keira McCarrell 1.55m/5'1"
Pole Vault
5. Lexie Leinneweber 3.70m/12'1.5"
6. Rhiannon Held 3.70m/12"1.5"*
Long Jump
10. Imani Jones 5.34m/17'6.25"
19. Elise Heddens 5.13m/16'10"*
23. Megan Lonneman 4.95m/16'3"*
Weight Throw
3. Madi Malone 20.93m/68'8"
6. Maura Huwalt 18.64m/61'2"
Shot Put
4. Jocelynn Budwig 16.02m/52'6.75"*
6. Maura Huwalt 15.33m/50'3.5"
14. Trinity Love 10.24m/33'7.25"*
*- Personal Best
^ - Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility Record
Auburn men lead the way in indoor season opener
