Clifford's record comes in 5,000 meters
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Sophomore Hatley Clifford (Plano, Texas/Carollton Christian) set a school record in the 5,000-meter run, two events were won by the men's team, and the women's team recorded three second-place finishes to highlight the VMI men's and women's outdoor track and field teams' performances at the Liberty Invitational earlier on Saturday.
Running in the 5,000 meters for the first time ever, Clifford placed sixth with a time of 18:39.13 which broke the Keydets' school record by more than 30 seconds. The previous record stood at 19:15.67 and was set in 2003 by Alia Hamad.
Sophomore Anthony Harris (Orlando, Fla./Cypress Creek) won the 1,500-meter run and junior Chris Brandriff (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) won the javelin throw with respective marks of 3:54.53 and 196' 5".
Meanwhile, the women's team was led by senior Mildred Cooper (Gretna, Va./Gretna) and junior Shelly Mackall (Baltimore, Md./Poly) who combined for three second-place finishes. Cooper did so in the shot put and hammer throw with respective marks of 43' 8-1/2" and 152' 1".
Other results for the men saw senior Austin Wakefield (Wake Forest, N.C./Wake Forest) finish second in the discus at 153' 5" and also take third in the shot put at 50' 8". Sophomore Mark Bush (Bristol, Tenn./Tennessee) placed fifth in the 800-meter dash at 1:56.24 while freshman Donnie Mikels (Rustburg, Va./Rustburg) finished sixth at 1:57.49.
Sophomore Edwin Lugo (Orlando, Fla./Timber Creek) took sixth place in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 9:59.54 while freshman Chris Alderman (White Hall, Md./Hereford) placed eighth in the long jump at 21' 1-1/2". Senior Ken Cooper (Pittsburgh, Pa./Gateway) finished sixth in the javelin at 151' 8". The Keydets also had a pair of men place in the top 10 in the 400-meter hurdles with senior Steven Bryan (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) finishing fifth at 56.89 seconds and senior Johnny Johnson (Merritt Island, Fla./Merritt Island) taking seventh at 58.43. The 4x400-meter relay team of junior Tim Greer (Annandale, Va./Annandale), junior Derek Behney (Bethel, Pa./Tulpehocken), Johnson, and Bush placed eighth at 3:28.85.
In other women's results the 4x100-meter relay team of sophomore Ketra Alexander (Miami, Fla./Northwestern), junior Gabriella Arraiz (Flint, Mich./Wayne State), freshman Ashley West (Miami, Fla./Northwestern), and Mackall recorded a time of 51.29 for seventh place. West also placed sixth in the 100-meter hurdles at 15.86 seconds
Both the VMI men's and women's teams will next be in action when they host the Big South Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Alumni Memorial Field. The championships begin on Thursday, April 14 and run through Saturday, April 16. Precise starting times all three days are still to be determined and will be announced along with a schedule of events and times prior to the start of the three-day conference event.
Clifford's record comes in 5,000 meters
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Sophomore Hatley Clifford (Plano, Texas/Carollton Christian) set a school record in the 5,000-meter run, two events were won by the men's team, and the women's team recorded three second-place finishes to highlight the VMI men's and women's outdoor track and field teams' performances at the Liberty Invitational earlier on Saturday.
Running in the 5,000 meters for the first time ever, Clifford placed sixth with a time of 18:39.13 which broke the Keydets' school record by more than 30 seconds. The previous record stood at 19:15.67 and was set in 2003 by Alia Hamad.
Sophomore Anthony Harris (Orlando, Fla./Cypress Creek) won the 1,500-meter run and junior Chris Brandriff (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) won the javelin throw with respective marks of 3:54.53 and 196' 5".
Meanwhile, the women's team was led by senior Mildred Cooper (Gretna, Va./Gretna) and junior Shelly Mackall (Baltimore, Md./Poly) who combined for three second-place finishes. Cooper did so in the shot put and hammer throw with respective marks of 43' 8-1/2" and 152' 1".