February 18, 2021 | General
Canty headlines first day of AAC Indoor Track & Field Championships
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the closure of the JDL Fast Track Complex for the 2021 indoor season, the Appalachian Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships found a new home. CIU track & field traveled to the state-of-the-art Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center in Louisville to compete in one of the first meets held at the facility. CIU opened day one of the AAC Indoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday with success on the track and in the field.
The speedy combo of Meghann Miller and Rachel Sargent set the pace for a solid outing for the Rams as the duo got things started in the women's 60-meter dash. Sargent shattered the school record in the event, coming in 4th overall at 8.09, while Miller was close on her heels with a time of 8.15.
Elsewhere on the track, CIU saw formidable outings in the distance medley relay for both the men's and women's teams. The men's DMR squad comprised of Malik Beaver, Taverres Berrian, Irvin Sumter, and Brandon Bacon, finished 7th overall with a time of 11:58.20. The women's DMR team consisted of Rosemary Reed, Val Burgess, Shyann Miller, and Jordan Blackmon. The aforementioned finished 6th overall with a time of 14:43.44.
The Rams highest finish came in the field, however, as freshman Anaya Canty broke the school record in the women's weight throw finishing 2nd overall in the event. Canty tallied a mark of 13.52 meters in her 2nd place finish. Canty's teammate Dazanni Hinton also placed in the weight throw finishing in 8th with a distance of 11.71 meters.
The men's weight throw was a bright spot for CIU as Seth Despres finished in 8th and Jonathan Hicks came in 6th. Hicks recorded a distance of 12.58 meters while Despres notched a mark of 12.27 meters.
Head Coach Jud Brooker was enthusiastic about the first day of the conference meet, remarking, "I was proud of our fight today after a long road trip. There were so many broken records, and to have Anaya finish second in the weight throw is extremely impressive. We are ready to roll tomorrow."
CIU will continue to compete at the AAC Championships on Friday. For full day one results, go to https://live.athletic.net/meets/7059/events.
