Pirates Conclude Day Two of AAC Outdoor Championships

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Three members of the East Carolina track & field program finished in scoring position and four more advanced to Sunday finals on day two of the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships on Saturday at UTSA's Park West Athletic Complex.

Starrett Vesper kicked things off and went on to have a phenomenal day in the decathlon where he finished fourth, just missing his own program record with 6,719 points. Vesper started the day with a personal best in the 110m hurdles, finishing in 17.0 seconds. That result set the senior up to break his own program record by a stunning 3.44 meters in the decathlon discus throw, tossing 44.82m to win the event. He followed that up with a win in the decathlon pole vault, clearing 4.80m and just missing out on a lifetime best as he clipped the bar at 5.00m. Still, the result gave Vesper enough points to propel himself into fourth in the competition, just missing out on a podium spot but earning five points for the team.

Elizabeth Taylor was the next Pirate to post a big-time result, leaping a lifetime best in the long jump with a mark of 6.03m, good for 10^th in program history. The mark also tied Taylor for third in the competition, only keeping her off of the podium on a tiebreak by virtue of which athlete had the better second jump.

Also in the field events, Naadiya Faison did what she does best, competing in the shot put and battling to a fourth-place finish overall with a toss of 14.78m.

On the track, four ECU athletes worked their way into Sunday finals, first with Lily Schlossberg who equaled her personal best in the 800m with a time of 2:12.49. Schlossberg earned the final time qualifier to earn her way into the final.

In the sprints, Sydni McMillan cruised to a heat win with the top preliminary time in 13.37 seconds in the 100m hurdles. McMillan made it look easy, striding to the lead after just the first couple of hurdles and building from there.

Melicia Mouzzon was also dominant, setting the facility record in the women's 100m with a time of 11.41 seconds. Mouzzon missed her own program record by just .10 seconds and was clear of the field by .19 seconds. Royal Burris also advanced out of the 100m, running a time of 10.47 seconds and getting through on a time qualifier.

Up Next
The Pirates are back in competition for the final day beginning with field events at 3:30 p.m. ET and on the track at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Players Mentioned

Royal Burris

Naadiya Faison

Sydni McMillan

Melicia Mouzzon

Lily Schlossberg

Elizabeth Taylor

Starrett Vesper

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