Track and Field Runners finish 2nd at Peach Belt Championship

Talyn Washington named Peach Belt Conference Track Athlete of the Year.

The Nova Southeastern University men’s and women’s track and field teams finished second at the 2015 Peach Belt Conference Championship after a strong final session Saturday, April 18.

This year’s race for the conference championship went down to the last few events, with everyone playing a huge role. The women finished with 143 points, 16 shy of Shorter. The men recorded 144.5 points, 9.5 behind Shorter, who won both titles.

After the event, senior Talyn Washington (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) was honored as the 2015 PBC Track Athlete of the Year. He earned the recognition with win s in the 200 and 400-meter dash finals, setting new PBC records in both.

Washington came close to a NCAA automatic qualifying time in winning the men’s 200-meter dash with a new meet record. The senior, who ranks fourth in the nation in the event, was off his personal best time by .01. Shannon Rolle (So. Miami, Fla.) clocked in at 24.88 to finish fifth in the event.

The women’s team earned its first victory of Saturday’s finals in the 400-meter hurdles. Shakira Bartley (So. West Palm Beach, Fla.) hit a NCAA provisional qualifying time of 1:01.87, setting a new PBC meet record in the process. On the men’s side, Rohan Mullings (So., Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) finished fifth with a time of 55.37.

The Sharks’ longest distance event of the final day was the 5,000-meter run, in which Rose Howell (Sr. St. Louis, Mo.) finished eighth for the women with a time of 18:38.01. Her time was a new season best after not appearing in the PBC top-10 times in the event this season. Wade White (So., Bangor, Pa.) came in seventh in the men’s event with a time of 15:17.08, a new season-best.

In the women’s 800-meter run, Aimee Sims (Sr., St. Anne, Ill.) reached the podium again with a third-place finish. Her time of 2:15.14 beat the previous meet record and was within five seconds of the leader. Sophomore Benjamin Manuel (Willemstad, Curacao) claimed fourth for the men with a time of 1:54.12.

Washington won his first race of the day in the 400-meter dash. The Royal Palm Beach native set a new PBC record with a time of 46.95, defeating the field by almost a full second. Washington is now within three tenths of a second of the NCAA automatic qualifying time. The Sharks took second in the women’s 400-meter dash, represented by Rolle. She clocked in at 55.89, under the NCAA provisional qualifying mark she previously hit.

In the 100-meter dash, NSU’s women were led by third-place finisher Ciona Williams (Jr. Stockton, Calif.). The junior clocked in at 12.08, short of her best time this year. Davontae Carson (Sr. Seattle, Wash.) took second on the men’s side with a time of 10.67. The time was a new season-best for the senior.

In the hurdling events, NSU claimed second in the 110-meter with Sherrelle Jordan (So., Chandler, Ariz.) finishing in 14.37, beating the previous meet record. Already provisionally qualified, Jordan will continue to hunt for a spot in nationals this year. The men’s team had a second-place finish as well, with Mullings clocking in at 14.79, crushing the previous meet record and setting a new personal best. He’s now within two tenths of a second of the NCAA B time.

The relay event of the afternoon was the 4×400-meter, with the points playing a major factor in the conference championship race. The women took third place with a time of 3:52.52. That group was represented by Rolle, Bartley, Quannisha Allen (Jr., St. Augustine, Fla.) and Sims. The men finished second with a time of 3:15:15, more than a second better than their seed time. That group was made up of Washington, Jordan Brown (So., Gainesville, Fla.), Dwayne Edwards (So., Jacksonville, Fla.) and Carson.

Field events began with the javelin throw, in which the men finished fourth with Tristan Weiser (Fr., Pennsville, N.J.) throwing for 47.47m. He was the top finisher among freshmen. The women were led by Sydney Molina (Fr. Miami, Fla.) and her throw of 29.21m.

NSU’s top finisher in the women’s shot put was Molina, who claimed seventh with a mark of 11.51m. It was her best shot put throw of the season. On the men’s side, Darren Hendricks (Jr., North Port, Fla.) hit 11.95m on his throw to claim seventh.

Finally, in the triple jump, Vanessa Munley (Sr.  Moosic, Pa.) hit a new season-best mark of 10.98m and finished sixth. For the men, Daniel York (Fr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) finished 11^th with a leap of 12.24m.

Prior to the final day, the PBC honored Sharks Manuel and MaJose Foster (Jr., Lauderhill, Fla.) as members of the All-Sportsmanship Team.

NSU will move on to the Multi-Culture Event in Miramar, Florida on April 27.