Pirates Open Outdoor Season at Bob Davidson Team Challenge

Friday, March 22

High Point, NC

East Carolina University

Bob Davidson Team Challenge

Pirates Open Outdoor Season at Bob Davidson Team Challenge

March 23, 2024 | Track & Field

Results (Web)

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The East Carolina track & field program opened its 2024 outdoor season at the Bob Davidson Team Challenge hosted by High Point on Friday and Saturday. The Pirate's earned three event wins and four more entries in the program's all-time top 10 lists.

As a team, the Pirate women finished third in the meet with 108 points while the men took eighth with 45. Liberty (120 points) won on the women's side and High Point (173 points) won the men's competition.

Cooper Kleckner and Colin McCauley got things rolling on Friday in the 5,000m with times of 14:48.86 and 14:50.74, respectively. Those times were good for seventh and ninth in the meet but the sixth- and seventh-best times in ECU history. Navaya Zales had an excellent 5,000m run as well, finishing third in the race with a time of 17:32.31 in her first crack at the distance at the college level.

With the majority of events taking place on Saturday, the Pirates got rolling in earnest on the second day and Naadiya Faison got it going right away. Faison won the women's shot put and did so with flair. All six of her throws not only would have won the competition but would have won it by over a meter – and her best mark of 15.15m did just that.

Melicia Mouzzon was the lone Pirate to earn a victory on the oval on Saturday as she won the 100m with a time of 11.38 seconds. Though it wasn't a personal record, the time is still faster than any athlete other than Mouzzon has ever run in program history. Royal Burris also ran the 100m, taking second on the men's side with a time of 10.25 seconds.

The throws group came through again later in the day with Rebekah Bergquist earning the victory in the discus, not far off of her PR with a throw of 51.29m for the win.

On the men's side, Shakiel Dacres wasn't able to pick up the win but did notch himself the No. 6 spot in the program record book with his discus throw of 51.01m.

Zach Willer posted the final top-10 mark of the weekend with his 9:36.95 run in the 3,000m steeple as finished third just behind his twin, Nick. The time is good for ninth in ECU history.

Quotable
"This was a great opening meet for both the men and the women," said Director of Track & Field Curt Kraft. "The meet provided a lot of great competition, and the weather cooperated for the most part. This is the earliest we have ever opened up our outdoor season. We had a lot of bright spots on both the men's side and the women's side. Some individuals have already punched their ticket with their performances to get into the East Preliminary Round. We have to get back to practice this week and keep working. Next week will provide us another opportunity with some great competition at the Raleigh Relays."

Team Scores
Women
1.Liberty – 120
2.High Point – 114
3.East Carolina – 108
4.Howard – 95
5.Akron – 72
6.James Madison – 48
7.Campbell – 46
8.Furman – 45
9.George Mason – 40
10.N.C. A&T – 31

Men
1.High Point – 173
2.Akron – 138
3.Howard – 111
4.George Mason – 93
5.Liberty – 64
6.N.C. A&T – 62
7.Campbell – 54
8.East Carolina – 45
9.Furman – 13
10.UNC Greensboro - 1