Troy Track & Field swept the competition at the Doc Anderson Invitational last weekend.
The Trojans played host to a meet in Troy for the first time since 2019 and made sure to defend the home track. The women won by a margin of 13 points over Samford, followed by Alabama State in third. The men were dominant, winning by 119 points over Montevallo and Samford.
The women got off to a strong start in the field events Friday evening and Saturday morning. Brooke Burns won the discus throw with a personal best mark of 44.39m. Fellow Trojans Shannara Richards was runner-up with a 44.38m throw. Biniosa Ezukuse and Joy Edwards took the top two spots in the shot put as well.
On the track, Kasia Cooper earned the top spot in the 400m, running it in 57 seconds. Freshman Lucy Turley left it all on the track with a 19:00.04 in her debut 5K to earn the gold as well. Tajah Martin-Palmer, Catherine Forbes and Cadi Rowe all earned second-place finishes in the 100m hurdles, 200m dash and 5K, respectively.
Gold was the color of the weekend for the men’s team. The men earned seven first-place finishes. The throwing events were a key part of the success for Troy. Cole Stewart won the javelin, Morgan Reese took the hammer throw with a new personal best and Javon Osbourne earned first in the shot put.
In the jumps, Haruki Sukai placed in the top spot for the long jump with a new best mark of 7.42m. Freshman teammate Anthony Wilder was right behind him in second. Jack Anderson also earned the runner-up spot in the high jump.
Tydreke Thomas led the way for the sprinting events. Thomas placed first in both the 100m and 200m. Eugene Vickers ran a new best time of 14.22 in the 110m hurdles to take the win.
In the middle- and long-distance events, Chance Armstrong and Mario Tullis placed second and third, respectively, in the 800m. Jasai Taylor earned silver honors in the 400m hurdles while freshman Gavan Baxley placed on the podium for the first time in his collegiate career with a third-place finish in the 5K.
In the first home meet in five years for Troy, head coach Marc Davis was proud of how the group defended the home track.
“It’s great to see kids willing to put their body on the line and defend our home, and that’s wonderful,” Davis said.
The Trojans are closing in on the end of the regular season. Next up is the Auburn Tiger Track Classic on Saturday. Following that, they’ll have one more opportunity to improve at the Penn Relays before a trip to Monroe, La. for the Sun Belt Championships.
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