Orangeburg, S.C. Austin Ditzhazy won the javelin, Quintin Turner placed first in the discus and Brendan Kight, Zach Johnson, Frank Dioguardi and Christopher Morgan ran the 4x800m relay for first place as The Citadel participated in the Robert “Jet” Johnson Relays on March 14 at the Larry H. Dawkins Track Facility in Orangeburg, S.C. The Bulldogs also had several performances that placed in the top 10 to lead the men's team to third place with 85 points and the women's team in fifth with 39 points.
Ditzhazy also set a personal-best record with his mark of 152' 11 in the javelin and Turner threw his personal-best in the discus with a mark of 148' 0.00”, earning the 10th all-time spot in The Citadel's record books. The men's 4x800m team ran for the ninth all-time record with a time of 7:56.13.
The 4x100m shuttle hurdle team which includes Brillyance Gilchrist-Poteat, Jodi Whittle, Francesca McCrary and Erinn Carter set a school record finishing fourth overall with a time of 59.51. James Harris and Aaron Overton tied for second place in the high jump with a jump of 6' 0.75”.
Alex Anderson ran a personal-best record of 15:52.51 in the 5000m for third place and Chris Fallis finished third in the 1500m with a time of 4:11.58. The 4x110m shuttle hurdle team that consisted of Jamel Brown, Overton, Brian Baize and Caleb Moore placed third with a time of 1:07.61 for the fourth all-time spot. Emily Green took third in the javelin with a personal-best record throw of 105' 11” earning the eighth all-time record and then she threw for fifth place in the shot put with a mark of 32' 11.25.
Sarah Stierwalt ran a personal-best record of 19:31.62 in the 5000m for fourth place, earning the seventh in The Citadel's top 10 records. Megan Jenkins, Carter, Katheryn Gatewood and Sarah Strickland ran the 4x800m relay for fourth place with a time of 10:06.97, earning the second all-time spot. Matt Earls took fourth in the javelin with a mark of 136' 9.00” and Joe Tkach placed fourth with a time of 4:14.41 in the 1500m run.
Erin Ritter ran the 5000m for a fifth-place finish with a time of 20:31.90 and P.J. Wasilchak ran a personal-best record in the 5000m for sixth place with a time of 16:26.79. Whittle also ran for sixth place in the 400m hurdles with a time of 59.26.
Shaquill Smith took seventh in the high jump with a mark of 5' 8.75” and Theresa Johansen threw a personal-best in the discus with a mark of 103' 11” for seventh place and earned the seventh all-time record.
Gilchrist-Poteat set a personal-best record running a time of 15.95 in the 100m hurdles, clinching the third all-time spot in the Bulldogs' record books.
“I am very proud of how the team dealt with the weather conditions,” states head coach Jody Huddleston. “The week before, it was sunny and 75 degrees and this week it was overcast and 45 degrees. For us to win three events and to have several top ten performances along with some very good personal-best performances is very rewarding for them. They did an awesome job.”
Coming up next, The Citadel will head to Conway, S.C. to participate in the Shamrock Invitational at Coastal Carolina beginning on Friday, March 20 and concluding on Saturday, March 21. For more information on Bulldog Track and Field, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
