Keydets placed first after day one at the SoCon Championships

SoCon Day 1 Field Results | SoCon Day 1 Tracking Results

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. The VMI men's track and field team is off to an incredible start to the 2024 Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships as the Keydets sit in first place after the first of two days of competition at Samford's Shauna Yelton Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

VMI is currently in first place with 56 team points, while Furman is in second place with 48 points. Western Carolina and Samford are in third place with 42 points each.

Individual champions and All-SoCon honors

*Senior Keyandre Midgett won the individual title in the long jump by finishing first with a distance of 7.36 meters (24' 1.75″), earning All-SoCon honors
*Senior for the second year in a row Andrew Granger took the hammer throw crown at 56.03 m (183' 10″) for All-SoCon honors
*Freshmen Cameron Thomas won the individual pole vault title with a first-place clearance of 4.95 meters (16' 2.75″) for All-SoCon recognition
*Charles Man earned All-SoCon honors in the long jump by finishing on the podium in second place at 7.18 meters, or 23' 6.75″.
*also participates in the decathlon, Isaiah Blount took a break from multis to compete in the pole vault, earning All-SoCon honors with a third-place finish of 4.65 m, or 15' 3″.
* Freshman pitcher Rafe Clendenin earned All-SoCon honors in the hammer alongside Granger by placing third overall at 50.32 m, or 165' 1″, a new personal best distance

Excellent performance

*Freshmen Zachary Denton placed fourth in the long jump at 6.84 meters (22' 5.25″), narrowly missing All-SoCon honors
*Senior Niek Bruin qualified for the 400 meters final by finishing first overall in the preliminaries in 47.85 seconds
*Blount is currently third in the decathlon with 3,504 points after five events. He came first in the shot put with a PR distance of 12.87 meters, or 42' 2.75.”
*Senior Patrick Kiernan placed eighth in the 10,000 meters with a time of 33:49.45 and earned a team point
*Ben Hagerik placed eighth in the preliminaries of the 800 meters in 1:54.66, missing the qualifying round by one runner
*Freshmen Jacob Garnett took fifth place in the preliminaries of the 200 meters in 21.28 to qualify for the final, while Niek Bruin also qualified with a ninth place in a time of 21.68.
*Andreas Hirneisen came ninth in the steep chase in 10:17.94 and was chased by Colin Crenshaw in 10th place in 11:39.82

Upwards Next one

The SoCon Championships resume Tuesday with the continuation of the decathlon at 11 a.m. and the heptathlon at 11:15 a.m. Day two will air on ESPN+ beginning at 4:00 PM EDT.

Day 1 Team Ranking
1 VMI 56 points

2 Furman 48 points
3 W. Carolina 42 points
3 Samford 42 points
5 ETSU 16 points
6 The Citadel 15 points
7 UNCG 6 points
8 Wofford 3 points

VMI director of athletics Zack Scott

“It's been a long and tough battle for our VMI Men's Track and Field team. The first scoring event for the Keydets was the hammer throw as Southern Conference champions Andrew Granger topped the podium for the second year in a row. He was followed by freshmen Rafe Clendenin PR roll for third place. After that, our men kept fighting: Thomas Cameron took first place on pole and was third just behind Isaiah Blount.

“Keyandre Midgett was long jump champion Charles Man close behind in second place. Freshman Zachary Denton took fourth place until the final event of the evening, the 10,000 meters, when the walk-on took place Patrick Kiernan finished 8th and scored a team point.

“There are no words that can say how hard and what it took for our guys to focus and get it done. Strong in first place on day one of two with final exams awaiting their return to the 'I on Wednesday ' “. It's just another week as a cadet-athlete at VMI. Day two starts with Isaiah Blount at the Decathlon discus throwing and Rafe Clendenin in the shot put.”

Day 1 champions
Men: hammer throwAndrew GrangerVMI (56.03 meters); long jumpKeyandre MidgettVMI (7.36 meters); pole vaultingCameron ThomasVMI (4.95 meters); javelinKyle Kaufelds, Samford (62.40 metres); Steeplechase of 3,000 metersCameron Ponder, Furman (8:52.32); 10,000 meter runOwen Shifflett (30:57.53).

Women: hammer throw Hannah Daffin, Samford (51.50 meters); long jumpEllison Chadwick (5.90 meters); pole vaultingDiana Romero-Barba, ETSU (3.70 meters); javelinAli Ruffin, The Citadel (47.44 meters); Steeplechase of 3,000 metersNicole Matysik, Furman (10:40.45); 10,000 meter runLillian Feingold, Furman (36:55.66).

Men's first year day 1
Men's hammer throw

Brent Bell, ETSU
Rafe ClendeninVMI

Austin Ramires, Western Carolina

Men's long jump
Zachary DentonVMI

David Dorbin, Western Carolina
Jordanian Chestnut, The Citadel

Men's pole vault
Cameron ThomasVMI

Jack Scott, The Citadel

Men's spear

Kyle Kaufelds, Samford
Michael Kolen, Samford
Arthur Parham, The Citadel

Men's 3,000 meter steeplechase

Colton Kempney, Furman
Lawson Mecom, Western Carolina
William Murray, Samford

Men's 10,000 meter run

Owen Shifflett, Furman

Ladies first year day 1
Women's hammer throw

Hailee Jackson-Morgan, Western Carolina
Tyla Nicholson, ETSU

Women's long jump

Ellison Chadwick, Samford
Heidi Hudson, Western Carolina
Eliza Ruch, ETSU

Women's pole vault

Antonina Tereshenko, Samford
Libby Jackson, Samford
Bella Hilleary, Western Carolina

Women's spear

Jasmine Hampton, Samford
Heidi Hudson, Western Carolina

Women's 3,000 meter steeplechase

Peyton Skoglund, Western Carolina

10,000 meter run

Lillian Feingold, Furman
Katherin Hopkins, Western Carolina

—————————————— —– —————————————- ——-

Tuesday VMI Men's Athletics Line-up

Tue, 2:15 pm

Men's high jump open:
Larvie, Christian

Tue, 2:15 pm

Men's shot put open:
Clendenin, Rafe

Tue, 3 p.m

Men's open triple jump:
Man, Karel
Midgett, Keyandre

Tuesday 4:00 PM

4 x 100 meter relay men, open:
(Man, McBride, Midgett, Garnett, Wilks, Brown)

Tuesday, 4:20 p.m

Men's 1,500 m open run:
Lowry, Patrick

Tue, 4:30 p.m

Men's discus throw open:
Blunt, Isaiah
Clendenin, Rafe
Granger, Andrew

Tuesday, 4:40 p.m

Men's 110m hurdles, open:
McBride, Liam
Topos, Xander

Tuesday, 6 p.m

400m hurdles men, open:
Topos, Xander

Tuesday, 6:40 p.m

Men's 5,000 m open run:
Schacht, Kevin

Tue, 7:25 pm

4 x 400 meter relay men, open:
(Edwards, Brown, Wilks, Topos, Garnett, Blount, Hagerich)