Friday, January 20
Nashville, Tenn.
10:00 AM (CT)
Samford University
at
Vanderbilt Invitational
Samford's Tray Oates proved to be the top collegiate pole vaulter at the 2017 Vanderbilt Invitational on Saturday.
Photo by: Caroline Summers
Bulldogs Earn Top Finishes At Vanderbilt Invite
1.21.17 | Track and Field
Samford’s Tait and Nelson both tally second-place finishes at the two-day competition
Final Results
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Samford University track and field team received brilliant performances from Emmanuel Tait, Tray Oates, Javion Lee, Paul Richardson, Josh Salter, Ben Bryant, Courtney Prengaman, Karisa Nelson and Emma Garner this weekend at the Vanderbilt Invitational as the Bulldogs continued their great start to the 2017 indoor season Saturday.
"I was really impressed with the way our program responded to the competition this weekend," said Samford head coach Rod Tiffin. "This was one of the best meets in the South this weekend and we showed that this team can compete with the best teams in the country."
The 2017 Vanderbilt Invitational was held Jan. 20-21, at the Vanderbilt University Multipurpose Facility and featured many of the top track and field programs in the nation.
Samford's Tait, a true freshman for the Bulldogs who prepped at Thompson High School, notched a second-place finish Saturday in the 60-meter hurdles with a blazing time of 7.91. South Carolina's Isaiah Moore won the competition with a time of 7.80. Tait's time broke his own school-record mark he set a week ago and was the 19th fastest hurdle time in the country this season, as well as the third fastest time from a freshman in the nation.
"I recruited Emmanuel because he was one of the best hurdlers in the country as a senior," Tiffin said. "He definitely proved that fact today with his time."
In the men's 5,000-meter run, Samford's Richardson and Salter placed fifth and sixth, respectively. Richardson turned in a time of 14:55.01, while Salter earned a tally of 15:12.66.
Bryant, the Bulldogs' dynamic sophomore runner earned a sixth-place finish in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:20.57.
Samford's Oates, who is one of the best pole vaulters in the nation, earned a third-place height of 5.20 meters Saturday and proved to be the top collegiate competitor in the 2017 Vanderbilt Invitational. The Bulldogs' senior Chris Thrasher tallied an eighth-place mark in the event.
In the men's triple jump, Samford's Lee posted a mark of 14.73 meters to place sixth in the event. South Carolina's Michael Wamer won the competition with a distance of 15.87 meters.
Samford's Prengaman also notched a sixth-place performance Saturday by jumping a height of 1.66 meters in the women's high jump. Additionally, the Bulldogs' Nelson turned in a brilliant time of 9:15.34 to finish in second place in the 3,000-meter run. Nelson's time proved to be the fourth best in the country and a school record.
"Karisa continues to get better and better," said Tiffin. "She was so impressive out there today. The fact that she can run that fast this time of year is almost unbelievable."
Garner, Samford's talented junior runner from Opelika, Alabama, continued her success in the 2017 indoor season with a third-place performance in the 1-mile run. She posted a time of 4:51.15 in the event and trailed only Claire Green of Arizona and Mia Meydrich of Mississippi State. Garner's time was a personal best and smashed her previous tally by nearly four seconds.
"We have to get back to work these next few weeks before the conference meet, but if we continue to get healthier we may have something special," Tiffin said.
The Samford University track and field team will next be in action Jan. 29, as the Bulldogs are slated to compete in the 2017 Kevin Stephen Invite, which will be held at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
For results, schedule updates, breaking news and links to all of your favorite articles featuring the Bulldogs, please follow @SamfordTrack and @Samford_Sports on Twitter.
Final Results
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Samford University track and field team received brilliant performances from Emmanuel Tait, Tray Oates, Javion Lee, Paul Richardson, Josh Salter, Ben Bryant, Courtney Prengaman, Karisa Nelson and Emma Garner this weekend at the Vanderbilt Invitational as the Bulldogs continued their great start to the 2017 indoor season Saturday.
"I was really impressed with the way our program responded to the competition this weekend," said Samford head coach Rod Tiffin. "This was one of the best meets in the South this weekend and we showed that this team can compete with the best teams in the country."
The 2017 Vanderbilt Invitational was held Jan. 20-21, at the Vanderbilt University Multipurpose Facility and featured many of the top track and field programs in the nation.
Samford's Tait, a true freshman for the Bulldogs who prepped at Thompson High School, notched a second-place finish Saturday in the 60-meter hurdles with a blazing time of 7.91. South Carolina's Isaiah Moore won the competition with a time of 7.80. Tait's time broke his own school-record mark he set a week ago and was the 19th fastest hurdle time in the country this season, as well as the third fastest time from a freshman in the nation.
"I recruited Emmanuel because he was one of the best hurdlers in the country as a senior," Tiffin said. "He definitely proved that fact today with his time."
In the men's 5,000-meter run, Samford's Richardson and Salter placed fifth and sixth, respectively. Richardson turned in a time of 14:55.01, while Salter earned a tally of 15:12.66.
Bryant, the Bulldogs' dynamic sophomore runner earned a sixth-place finish in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:20.57.
Samford's Oates, who is one of the best pole vaulters in the nation, earned a third-place height of 5.20 meters Saturday and proved to be the top collegiate competitor in the 2017 Vanderbilt Invitational. The Bulldogs' senior Chris Thrasher tallied an eighth-place mark in the event.
In the men's triple jump, Samford's Lee posted a mark of 14.73 meters to place sixth in the event. South Carolina's Michael Wamer won the competition with a distance of 15.87 meters.
Samford's Prengaman also notched a sixth-place performance Saturday by jumping a height of 1.66 meters in the women's high jump. Additionally, the Bulldogs' Nelson turned in a brilliant time of 9:15.34 to finish in second place in the 3,000-meter run. Nelson's time proved to be the fourth best in the country and a school record.
"Karisa continues to get better and better," said Tiffin. "She was so impressive out there today. The fact that she can run that fast this time of year is almost unbelievable."
Garner, Samford's talented junior runner from Opelika, Alabama, continued her success in the 2017 indoor season with a third-place performance in the 1-mile run. She posted a time of 4:51.15 in the event and trailed only Claire Green of Arizona and Mia Meydrich of Mississippi State. Garner's time was a personal best and smashed her previous tally by nearly four seconds.
"We have to get back to work these next few weeks before the conference meet, but if we continue to get healthier we may have something special," Tiffin said.
The Samford University track and field team will next be in action Jan. 29, as the Bulldogs are slated to compete in the 2017 Kevin Stephen Invite, which will be held at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
For results, schedule updates, breaking news and links to all of your favorite articles featuring the Bulldogs, please follow @SamfordTrack and @Samford_Sports on Twitter.
Final Results
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