
Pringle’s Dominant Win Highlights Pirates at Gamecock Challenge
February 01, 2025 | Track & Field
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The East Carolina track & field team was back in competition on Saturday at South Carolina's Gamecock Challenge. Jocelyn Pringle highlighted the day with a dominant victory in the weight throw, besting the field by over two meters.
Overall, in the meet, the Pirates had seven athletes register marks which rank in the top 10 in program history. Nine athletes turned in podium finishes and two relays, the women's 4x400m and the men's DMR (distance medley relay), earned second-place finishes.
Erin Pope got the team off to a good start early in the morning with a 3,000m run of 9;55.42 which puts the freshman into 10th in program history, the same place in which she finished in the meet.
A few other Pirates had terrific days on the track, including Hayley Whoolery who also represented the distance group well with her 17:22.04 effort in the 5,000m. Whoolery finished second overall in the meet and her time ranks her 10th in program history. Notably, the result also knocks Dava Rhodes out of the top 10 in program history in the event. Rhodes, of course, is best known for being ECU track & field's first female All-American as she finished eighth in the nation in the 10,000m outdoors in 1994.
The ECU sprints group acquitted itself well once again on Saturday. Brianna Clayton got the better of Kelly Ufodiama for the first time this season as the duo finished second and third in the 60m. Clayton continued her fabulous day with a third-place finish in the 200m, matching her personal record of 23.71 seconds in the event, which is already fourth in program history.
In the women's 60m hurdles, Aaliyah Brown-Muhammad, Kailey Elliott and Emma Hall finished 3-4-5 with Hall earning a personal best in the event with a time of 8.56 seconds. That time ranks the rookie ninth in program history.
East Carolina had a good day in field events as well, highlighted by Pringle who launched a toss of 19.56m (64-02.25) in the weight throw. It was not a season best, but it was good enough for a dominant win, taking the event by a massive margin over second place's 17.20m.
In the horizontal jumps, Skyler Harrelson got things going with a bang, taking second place in the long jump but earning her second PR of the season in 5.99m (19-8.00), just missing out on becoming the fourth Pirate ever to break six meters in the event.
L'Nya Carpenter fared well in the triple jump with her leap of 12.08m (39-07.75), not sniffing her personal best but taking second place on the day.
Finally, Sarah Smith reached a personal-record height in the pole vault with her clearance of 3.68m (12-00.75). The result vaulted—apologies for the pun—the sophomore into ninth in program history.
Up Next
The Pirates will return to action one last time for the regular season on Feb. 14-15 at Norfolk State's Indoor Pre-Nationals meet.
Overall, in the meet, the Pirates had seven athletes register marks which rank in the top 10 in program history. Nine athletes turned in podium finishes and two relays, the women's 4x400m and the men's DMR (distance medley relay), earned second-place finishes.
Erin Pope got the team off to a good start early in the morning with a 3,000m run of 9;55.42 which puts the freshman into 10th in program history, the same place in which she finished in the meet.
A few other Pirates had terrific days on the track, including Hayley Whoolery who also represented the distance group well with her 17:22.04 effort in the 5,000m. Whoolery finished second overall in the meet and her time ranks her 10th in program history. Notably, the result also knocks Dava Rhodes out of the top 10 in program history in the event. Rhodes, of course, is best known for being ECU track & field's first female All-American as she finished eighth in the nation in the 10,000m outdoors in 1994.
The ECU sprints group acquitted itself well once again on Saturday. Brianna Clayton got the better of Kelly Ufodiama for the first time this season as the duo finished second and third in the 60m. Clayton continued her fabulous day with a third-place finish in the 200m, matching her personal record of 23.71 seconds in the event, which is already fourth in program history.
In the women's 60m hurdles, Aaliyah Brown-Muhammad, Kailey Elliott and Emma Hall finished 3-4-5 with Hall earning a personal best in the event with a time of 8.56 seconds. That time ranks the rookie ninth in program history.
East Carolina had a good day in field events as well, highlighted by Pringle who launched a toss of 19.56m (64-02.25) in the weight throw. It was not a season best, but it was good enough for a dominant win, taking the event by a massive margin over second place's 17.20m.
In the horizontal jumps, Skyler Harrelson got things going with a bang, taking second place in the long jump but earning her second PR of the season in 5.99m (19-8.00), just missing out on becoming the fourth Pirate ever to break six meters in the event.
L'Nya Carpenter fared well in the triple jump with her leap of 12.08m (39-07.75), not sniffing her personal best but taking second place on the day.
Finally, Sarah Smith reached a personal-record height in the pole vault with her clearance of 3.68m (12-00.75). The result vaulted—apologies for the pun—the sophomore into ninth in program history.
Up Next
The Pirates will return to action one last time for the regular season on Feb. 14-15 at Norfolk State's Indoor Pre-Nationals meet.
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