Men’s Track Third at SoCon Outdoor

VMI men’s track and field finished in third place with strong performances at the Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Western Carolina’s Catamount Athletic Complex in Cullowhee, North Carolina, May 8–9, 2023.

Day 1

Andrew Granger ’24, VMI thrower, led the way for the VMI men’s track and field team on day one of the SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Western Carolina’s Catamount Athletic Complex in Cullowhee, North Carolina, May 8–9, 2023.

Granger won the hammer throw with a toss of 57.62 meters to earn the top mark of the event for the day and take home the individual title. Herbert Brooks ’23 finished sixth in the event at 45.36 meters.

Top Performances

• In the 110-meter hurdles prelims, Liam McBride ’24 placed second overall to advance to the finals on day two with a time of 14.60 seconds. Xander Topos ’25 finished eighth in the event and qualified for the final in 15.46 seconds.
• Keyandre Midgett ’24 came in fourth in the long jump with a distance of 7.05 meters, while Charles Male ’24 placed eighth at 6.79 meters.
• In the 200-meter prelims, Nick Brown ’25 arrived in fifth in 21.63 seconds to qualify for Tuesday’s final round
• Topos placed fifth in the 400-meter hurdles prelims in 55.75 seconds to make the finals on day two.
• Isaiah Blount ’25 and Kevin Linko ’23 led VMI in the pole vault, tied for fifth at 4.33 meters. Brandon Bauman ’24 finished eighth with a height of 4.03 meters.
• Brown also competed in the 400-meter prelims and arrived in seventh in 48.98 seconds to qualify for the final round, while Richard Edwards ’25 came in eighth in 49.63 seconds to qualify.
• Trent Whittaker ’23 placed seventh in the 800-meter prelims with a time of 1:52.39 to qualify for the final round
• Ty Wesenyak ’23 came in eighth in the javelin throw at 45.93 meters.
• In the 3000-meter steeple, Andre Hirneisen ’24 logged a 12th place mark of 1:11.83, and Nicholas Ligday ’26 arrived right after in 10:19.44.
• In the multi-events, Blount was in fourth place with 3338 points, followed by Linko in fifth with 3094 points on day one. Blount finished second in both the 400-meter (50.21) and shot put (12.69 meters), while Linko’s best finish of the day came in the 100-meter with a second-place time of 11.19 seconds.

Zack Scott, VMI Director of Track and Field:

“Day one is in the books, and we saw our team rise to the challenge. Andrew Granger [’24] was the first to score for VMI with a resounding hammer throw, earning himself the individual title for the event by more than 7 meters ahead of the field. Next to score were our decathletes Isaiah Blount [’25] and Kevin Linko [’23], finishing fifth and sixth over their first five events and moving over to pole vault. Brandon Bauman [’24] finished eighth in the pole vault in his first SoCon Championship. Men’s long jump completed with Keyandre Midgett [’24] finishing fourth and with Charles Male [’24] breaking into the scoring group in eighth.”

Men’s Results – Day 1

1. Samford – 67 points
2. Furman – 40
3. Western Carolina – 33
4. VMI – 28
5. The Citadel – 26
6. ETSU – 23
7. UNCG – 11
8. Wofford – 6

Day 1 Champions

Men: Hammer throw Granger, VMI (57.62 meters); long jump Edwin Rainey, Samford (7.27 meters); pole vault Jed Sisco, Samford (5.20 meters); javelin Tripp Marcus, Samford (67.51 meters); 3,000-meter steeplechase Carson Williams, Furman (8:46.56*); 10,000-meter run Dylan Christopher, UNCG (31:36.09).
* meet record

Men’s All-Freshman – Day 1

Men’s Hammer Throw
Jacob Thomas, Western Carolina
Dominick Dale, Western Carolina
Quin Goodson, Wofford

Men’s Long Jump
Noah Straley, Western Carolina
Nathan Williams, Western Carolina

Men’s Pole Vault
Carter Ellis, Samford
Ethan Fulford, ETSU

Men’s Javelin
Jackson Livingston, Western Carolina
Grayson Eady, Samford
Quin Goodson, Wofford

Men’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase
Nate Hillis, ETSU
Abdul-Rahman Jaber, ETSU
Ben Kenner, ETSU

Men’s 10,000-Meter Run
Andrew McGinnis, Samford
Owen Sharnas, The Citadel
Luke Taylor, Furman

Day 2

Led by All-Conference performances by several athletes, the VMI men’s track and field team placed third at the 2023 SoCon Outdoor Championships.

VMI finished in third place with 97 points. Samford won for the third straight year with 251 points, followed by Western Carolina at 133 points.

Whittaker, VMI distance runner, paced the Keydets by winning the individual title in the 800-meter Tuesday with a time of 1:50.20 to earn All-Conference honors.

Blount came in second in the decathlon with a total of 6258 points, while Linko came in fourth with 5648 points.

In the 110-meter hurdles, McBride came in second in 14.31 for All-Conference recognition, and Topos placed fifth in 15.07.

D. Alex Fiorillo ’23 arrived in third in the 1500-meter run with a time of 3:55.49 as the final Keydet to earn All-Conference.

Other Top Performances

• Brown finished fourth in the 400-meter in 48.14, followed by Edwards in eighth in 49.54. Brown also competed in the 200-meter and finished sixth in 21.55 seconds.
• Hunter Davis ’25, shot putter, placed fourth at 14.18 meters ahead of Brooks (seventh, 13.82 meters) and Granger (ninth, 13.29 meters).
• The 4×100 group, consisting of Edwards, Brown, McBride, and Topos, placed fourth overall in 42.67 seconds.
• Topos came in fifth in the 400-meter hurdles in 54.48 seconds.
• Granger came in sixth in the discus at 40.25 meters, while Blount finished 10th at 36.51 meters.
• In the high jump, Male placed ninth overall at 1.80 meters. Male also placed ninth in the triple jump, and teammate Robert Jones ’24 finished 11th at 12.43 meters.

Zack Scott, VMI Director of Track and Field:

“It was another very competitive outdoor Southern Conference Championship in the books. Our staff has a much better grasp of what it is going to take to be successful. We have a lot of work over the summer to prepare for the new team we will have next year and will be ready for the challenge.”

Men’s Results – Final

1. Samford – 251 points
2. Western Carolina – 133
3. VMI – 97
4. ETSU – 91
5. The Citadel – 78
6. Furman – 70
7. Wofford – 65
8. UNCG – 21

Men’s Most Outstanding Athlete: Cagan Campbell, Samford

Men’s Pinnacle Award (Highest GPA on Championship-Winning Team): Caleb Scheffler, Samford

Day 2 Champions

Men: 4×100-meter relay William Malcolm, Evan Brooks, Titus Moore, Cagan Campbell, Samford (40.11); decathlon Ty Kimberlin, Samford (7,233 points*); 1,500-meter run John Davis, Western Carolina (3:54.76); 110-meter hurdles Titus Moore, Samford (13.87*); discus Solomon Ghosh, The Citadel (53.28 meters); 400-meter dash Cagan Campbell, Samford (46.99); 100-meter dash William Malcolm, Samford (10.42); 800-meter run Trent Whittaker ’23, VMI (1:50.20); 400-meter hurdles Landon Wright, Samford (51.60); high jump Tanner Henry, Wofford (2.05 meters); 200-meter dash Cagan Campbell, Samford (20.98); 5,000-meter run Adam Beucler, Furman (14:36.36); shot put Riley Center, Western Carolina (14.50 meters); triple jump Edwin Rainey, Samford (15.55 meters); 4×400-meter relay Evan Brooks, Matthew Grigg, Tyke Tabor, Cagan Campbell, Samford (3:13.81).
* meet record

Men’s All-Freshman – Day 2
Decathlon
Ethan Fulford, ETSU

1,500-Meter Run
Lane Prochaska, UNCG
Nate Hillis, ETSU
Matthew Martin, Western Carolina

110-Meter Hurdles
Treven McGhee, ETSU

Discus
Eli Penix, Samford
Logan Wagner, ETSU
Chase Edwards, Wofford

400-Meter Dash
Elias Barton, Western Carolina
Braxton White, ETSU
Thomas Stamper, Wofford

100-Meter Dash
Robert Hilsman, Wofford
D’Shawn Fletcher, ETSU
Skylar Woodard, Western Carolina

800-Meter Run
Conner Overly, ETSU
Will Berger, Wofford
Ethan Hearn, Wofford

400-Meter Hurdles
Jackson Olivo, Samford
Treven McGhee, ETSU
Jonny Sherwood, Western Carolina

High Jump
Jack Mulvey, The Citadel

200-Meter Dash
Robert Hilsman, Wofford
Noah Straley, Western Carolina
Skylar Woodard, Western Carolina

5,000-Meter Run
Evan Pena, UNCG
Luke Taylor, Furman
Owen Sharnas, The Citadel

Shot Put
Eli Penix, Samford
Logan Wagner, ETSU
Chase Edwards, Wofford

Triple Jump
Nathan Williams, Western Carolina
Joshuah Glyn-Williams, Western Carolina

 

Editor’s Note: This story first appeared at vmikeydets.com.