Mars Hill opens outdoor slate at L-R Bears Opener

HICKORY, N.C. - The Mars Hill men's outdoor track & field team traveled to Hickory, North Carolina on Saturday to compete in the L-R Bears Open hosted by Lenoir-Rhyne University. Fourteen collegiate programs from all NCAA divisions competed in the meet.

New school records were set, personal bests set, and several earned trips to the finals in their respective events.

Highlights from the day:

New School Records – Men's Discus and Men's Hammer Throw

Jesse Shelton established new school records in men's discus and men's hammer throw.

Shelton placed third in men's discus with a throw of 48.95m (160' 7").

Shelton placed third in men's hammer with a throw of 46.82m (153' 7").

Sprint Squad

Jackson McClain kicked off his outdoor season competing in the men's 100m. McClain finished the race in 10.79s – just 0.07 seconds off his all-time fastest time set last year. McClain placed fifth overall.

Ethan Lee competed in both the men's 100m and 200m sprints. Lee placed 16^th in the 100m with a time of 11.24s. Ethan established a new personal best in the 200m with a time of 22.7s.

Wanya Martin competed in the 100m for the first time in his collegiate career. Martin placed 29^th overall with a time of 11.56s.

Connor Cecil established a personal best in the men's 400m run, finishing in a time of 54.61s. Cecil placed 19^th overall.

Traveon Howell placed 31^st in the men's 200m sprint, finishing in a time of 24.29s.

Distance Squad

Braxton Taft Cummings placed ninth overall in the 1500m run with a time of 4:12.93

Tarus Kipsang competed in his first collegiate race. Kipsang placed third overall in the 5000m with a time of 16:27.7.

Gabe Hunt kicked off his day with the 3000m Steeplechase. Hunt placed eighth overall with a time of 10:47.06. Hunt competed in the men's 5000m run as well, placing fourth overall with a time of 16:31.11.

Brandon Wright placed 14^th in the 800m run with a time of 2:06.54.

Kelvin Kipsang competed in the men's 500m run, placed fifth with a time of 16:39.08.

Throws Squad

Jesse Shelton earned trips to the finals in all three of his throwing events – discus, shot put, and hammer. Shelton placed third overall in each event: discus, 48.95m, shot put, 16.23m, hammer, 46.82m.

Justus Shelton earned a trip to the finals in men's javelin, placing fifth overall with a throw of 47.03m (154' 3").

Antonio Lorenzo competed in men's discus, shot put and hammer throw. Lorenzo placed 21^st in discus with a throw of 33.09m. He followed up discus with a throw of 12.74m in shot put, placing 10^th overall. Lorenzo placed 17^th in hammer throw with a mark of 35.17m.

Jasiah Robinson competed in two throwing events – discus and shot put. Robinson placed 20^th in discus with a throw of 33.62m and 22^nd in shot put with a throw of 11.30m.

Jumps Squad

Levi Higgins placed seventh in men's high jump with a jump of 1.83m.

Jared Benain placed 18^th in men's long jump with a jump of 6.18m. Traveon Howell placed 20^th in long jump with a jump of 5.90m, and Wanya Martin placed 24^th with a jump of 5.16m.

Next up, the Lions travel a short distance to Montreat College to compete in the Montreat Invitational on March 22^nd and 23^rd.