AUBURN, Ala. – Coming off a strong season-opener in Nashville last weekend, the Auburn indoor track & field team will look to keep the momentum rolling with another big road test at the Carolina Challenge this weekend. The two-day meet will be held Friday and Saturday at the Carolina Indoor Facility in Columbia, S.C., with action starting Friday at 9 a.m. CT with the women's weight throw and the men's 5k.
"We've set up our indoor schedule to where we are challenged more and more as we go," Tigers head coach Ralph Spry said. "This weekend is no different. The meet is at a great venue and there some are competitive teams coming that are really going to push us."
At its season debut, Auburn racked up six event wins and had 20 athletes register a personal best in at least one event.
Senior sprinters Christopher Grant, Dante Brown and Jason Reese highlighted the men's performances with a sweep of the 60m dash in both prelims and finals. Grant's top time of 6.68 seconds ranks 13th nationally. The trio will return to action on Friday in the prelims of the men's 60m at 10 a.m. CT.
Last weekend's women's event winner, Presley Weems, is also back for this week's competition. At the Commodore Challenge, Weems posted a 2:46.03 in the 1000m to snag first place and break the 10-year-old Vanderbilt facility record by over three seconds.
Also cracking the top-20 national event rankings for the Tigers are senior Madi Malone (11th, weight throw), senior James Courson (15th, pole vault), senior Dontavious Hill (17th, high jump) and junior Kyle Brown (18th, weight throw).
"Our team really showed a lot of fight last meet," Spry said. "I was more concerned with effort than performances, and I liked what I saw. We got off to a good start and we're excited about heading to South Carolina this weekend."
Last year at the Carolina Challenge, Auburn collected four event wins, two on the women's side and two on the men's, en route to Malone breaking her own school record in the weight throw.
Joining the Tigers this weekend will be student-athletes from 36 other universities, including Southeastern Conference opponents Georgia, Kentucky and host school South Carolina.
Spectators for the weekend will be limited to non-team areas and required to wear a mask at all times. Tickets prices are $10 for adults and $5 for kids 17 and under. Tickets may be purchased on-site and with cash only.
Live results for the meet can be found at results.adkinstrak.com or by visiting the link here.
