Over the course of the weekend, the Troy track and field teams took a trip to the east coast to take part in a two-day meet hosted by the Clemson Tigers.
The first out-of-state meet for the Trojans also brought in many schools from Power Five conferences, such as Alabama, Florida State and the hosting Tigers. Troy handled the stiff competition well and several Trojans saw career bests and top five finishes, with the most notable being Hakim Montgomery.
Montgomery matched his performance from the previous meet by capturing another first place finish in the 60m dash. Montgomery’s 6.59 time was not only the team record time for the Trojans, but it also currently sits at second place among national indoor standings.
“We showed that we can compete at a high level when put in tough competitive situations,” said Head Coach Marc Davis. “Those are some very tough opponents to face at the same time. We are holding our own with an individual win in a very tough sprint field, and three more top-five finishes on day one.”
After the final results had been posted, Troy held 14 finishes in the top 10, as well as nine within the top five. One of the top five finishes came from Michael Alvernaz’s 18.93-meter heave in the weight throw competition. This throw gave Alvernaz a school record as well as a fourth-place finish.
Along with Alvernaz’s personal best, 11 other Trojans surpassed their previous records as well. Riley Schwietz and Elizabeth Locklier each broke two personal bests in the 60m hurdles and the high jump.
Rounding out the top finishers for Troy were Indiya Summerville and Tyson Robinson, who landed fourth place finishes in the shot put and 600m dash, respectively.
To close out a weekend filled with competition and much-needed rest, Troy traveled to Birmingham to compete in the KMS Invite, Troy’s second meet in three days.
The Trojans used this as an opportunity for underclassmen to gain experience going into the years ahead and to lock in runners for the Sun Belt Indoor Championships.
Freshmen Alexis Garrett and Kewin Delis both eclipsed their personal bests, with Garrett finishing in the top 10 in two events.
The highest-placing Trojan was Caleb Brown, who landed at third place in the weight throw competition. Brown was one of the 11 Trojans who finished their respective events in the top 15 overall.
Troy looks to continue the strong showing into the Sun Belt Indoor Championships near the end of the month to cap off the considerably short indoor season.
The Trojans will hit the track next Monday at the Jaguar Invitational before ending the regular season at the Samford Open the following Friday. Both of the meets will be held at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
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