Gabe Sadetsky
Staff Writer
This past weekend, April 11-12, saw Troy’s track and field team split up and head to two different meets in two different states. The Trojans, not faltered by the separation, each took home a first place finish in an event at both the Spec Towns National Team Invitational in Athens, Ga., and the University of South Alabama Invitational in Mobile.
One of those first place finishes came from senior sprinter Jordan Landburg in the men’s 400-meter sprint in Athens with a time of 46.88 seconds. The race kept Landburg at second in the Sun Belt and 26th in the NCAA rankings respectively.
The other top performance of the weekend came from junior thrower Hayes Grissom and his 63.36-meter javelin throw in Mobile. His finish also maintains him at his second place ranking in the Sun Belt conference for men’s javelin.
The Trojan women joined in at the Athens meet with strong performances of their own. Freshman Taylor McDonald reached a season best finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:02.52, moving her from seventh to fourth in conference rankings.
Freshman sensation Corina Cox ended with a 49.40-meter throw in the women’s discus, giving her a third place finish. Cox, who is currently ranked second in the nation among U20 athletes, also tossed 13.32 meters in the shot put on Friday, April 11.
In Mobile, at the USA Invitational, the women’s 4×100-meter relay team consisting of freshman Sierra King, sophomore Lacey Marcus, and seniors Tiffany Slater and Adria Hill came in second place at 47.86 seconds. The finish moved them to seventh place in conference standings.
King also competed in the 100-meter dash, placing fourth with a season best of 12.18 seconds.
Other Trojans, along with Landburg, finished with high marks at the Spec Towns Invitational, including junior Benjamin Martin’s second place finish in the men’s 100-meter dash with a time of 10.32 seconds. Martin now holds the first place ranking in the 100-meter dash in the Sun Belt and currently stands at second place in the 200-meter dash.
Senior hurdler Thaddeus Curtis finished second in the men’s 110-meter hurdles in Athens with a time of 14.54 seconds. Curtis is ranked first in the conference in the event.
The track and field team will reunite on Friday, April 18, as they head to Auburn for their last meet on the road this season at the War Eagle Invitational.
