East Carolina University
Day 1
Pirates Win Three Events at Dick Taylor Carolina Cup
January 17, 2015 | Track & Field
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The East Carolina track and field team turned in a pair of third place finishes at the Dick Taylor Carolina Cup host by the University of North Carolina over the weekend. The men's squad tallied 28 points, while the women's team totaled 31. Duke won the women's events with 71 points, while North Carolina came in first on the men's side with 66 points.
"The first meet after the long holiday break was about what I expected," Head coach Curt Kraft stated. "We had some really good performances, and then there are people that have a lot of work to do before our American Athletic Conference Championships.
"I told our teams in a meeting after the meet, that individuals have to be able to handle success and adversity in a way that it doesn't affect you on how you approach the next meet," Kraft continued. "We have to heal up from some nagging injuries and get ready for Virginia Tech next weekend. The ultimate goal in the end is to keep everyone healthy and to keep them focused."
The Pirates came away with three first-place finishes over the weekend as junior Avion Jones won the men's high jump and seniors Joe Wilson and Tyshonda Hawkins took first in the men's and women's 60-meter dash, respectively.
Jones won the high jump with a clearance of 2.13-meters (6' 11.75"). Tyler Banks and Dylan Spadaccini came in behind him to place third and eighth, respectively. Banks' mark of 1.98m (6' 2.25") ranks him eighth in the ECU all-time record book, while Spadaccini turned in a tally of 1.83m (6' 0").
Wilson came in first in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.85 as he set the pace for teammates Michael Neal (6.99) and Xavier Brown (7.10) who finished third and sixth, respectively.
Also on the track, freshman Jorge Montes recorded a career-best time of 8:33.42 in the 3,000-meter run as he finished eighth in the event. Montes' time is good for fourth in the ECU record book.
Thomas Lehman earned a personal-record mark in the men's weight throw with a tally of 16.26-meters (53' 4") to place third in the event. He now comes in eighth all-time at East Carolina. Lehman led Pirate teammates Adam Manns (15.34m) and Jalen Peterkin (13.95m) in the weight throw as Manns came in fifth and Peterkin placed ninth.
On the women's side, Hawkins claimed first in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.61. Madison Rayfield came in behind her with a time of 7.69 to place third in the event and ninth in the East Carolina record book. Jasmine Dawson (7.78) and Malika Rashid (7.96) rounded out the Pirates with fourth and eighth-place finishes, respectively.
In the field, Lauren Lubarski came in fifth in the women's high jump with a new personal-record mark of 1.62m (5' 3.25"). Her mark also ranks her sixth all-time at East Carolina. Aminah Ghaffar finished just behind Lubarski with a clearance of 1.57m (5' 1.75") to place sixth. The mark is a new career-best for Ghaffar and earned her Top 10 placement in the ECU record book.
Lastly, Chloe Early also registered a new personal record as she tallied a mark of 17.56-meters (57' 7") to finish second in the event and place sixth all-time at East Carolina. Mohogany Baker placed third in the event with a mark of 16.93m (55' 6") and is now ninth in the ECU record book. Kaylee Redon (16.59m) and Lubarski (13.66m) finished the event in fourth and 10th, respectively.
The Pirates will be back in action at the Virginia Tech Hokie Invitational Friday, January 23 and Saturday, January 24, in Blacksburg, Va.
Players Mentioned
