AZUSA, Calif. – Five Trojans from the Anderson University men and women's track & field programs traveled to Azusa, Calif. this past weekend to compete in the Bryan Clay Invitational hosted by Azusa Pacific University.
The Bryan Clay Invitational—one of nation's premier distance-heavy meets—brought together an elite field of NCAA Div. I talent, featuring powerhouse Power 5 programs, elite mid-majors, and professional athletes all chasing fast times and national marks. The competition featured a deep field with standout programs including University of Oregon, Notre Dame University, University of Louisville, University of Missouri, University of California Berkeley, Louisiana State University, Brigham Young University, Azusa Pacific University and University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
On the women's side, junior
Kennedy Roush (Greer, S.C.) and senior
Emma Whitaker (Greer, S.C.) each boasted a new program record in their respective events. Roush broke the women's outdoor 10000m record by over a minute with a time of 34:24.92 to win her heat, finishing third overall. Roush's 34:24.92 1000m time places her in the top 10 of the NCAA Div. II national standings. Whitaker also set a new program record with an 800m time of 2:11.57, good for a 5th place finish in her heat and 49th overall.
Facing one of the deepest fields of the season, the men delivered steady performances across the board. Graduate Spain Vaughn (Greer, S.C.) posted a 10000m time of 30:10.28 to finish 22nd overall. Junior
Angel Galan (Santa Marta De Tormes, Spain) competed in the men's 3000m steeple, crossing the line to place sixth in his heat and 52nd overall with a time of 9:08.45. Rounding out the weekend for the Trojans was junior
Joey Tindale (Rock Hill, S.C.) with a 1500m time of 3:49.53, good for 11th in heat four and 87th out of 166 finishers.
The Trojans will return on Wednesday, April 29 and Thursday, April 30 for the South Atlantic Conference Championships hosted by Emory & Henry in Emory, Va. The two-day meet will feature the conference's top athletes, each reaching for a spot on the podium.
