ROCKINGHAM, Va. - The Bridgewater College men's track and field team hosted their first home meet of the season Saturday morning. The Shane Stevens Winter Invitational was held with a condensed schedule due to the threat of inclement weather.
Walker Knicely headlined the meet for the Eagles, breaking the program pole vault record twice. First, Knicely cleared 4.47 meters on his first attempt. He was unable to clear 4.62 for his first two attempts but was able to capitalize on his final try. Knicely broke the program pole vault record at the Burg Open when he cleared 4.41 meters. The junior placed second in the meet, joined on the podium by teammate Thomas Hennessy. Hennessy earned third after clearing 3.72 meters on his first attempt.
The Eagles placed nine throwers in the men's shot put. Jesus Flores led BC with a second-place finish. Flores threw 14.70 meters on his final attempt. Luke Williams recorded a 13.48-meter throw on his second attempt to land in fourth. Antonio Harris placed sixth after landing a 12.96-meter throw on his second attempt. Bryce Hoffman was the last of the BC participants in the top ten, placing tenth with a 12.19-meter throw.
Nick Goleno and Joe Flynn placed on the podium in the men's weight throw. Goleno recorded a 13.99-meter throw on his first attempt, good for second. Flynn also recorded his best throw on his first turn, registering a 13.91-meter throw.
Max Madsen and Mason Lawhorne competed in the men's long jump. Madsen recorded a 6.26-meter jump on his final attempt to place third. Lawhorne jumped 4.65 meters on his first jump and finished seventh.
Madsen also finished first in the men's triple jump after recording a 13.43-meter jump on his final attempt.
Jayden Davenport finished second in the men's 60-meter dash. Davenport's 7.08 second sprint was one-hundredth of a second off from his best time of the season. Kyle Galloway and Giran Sirico finished ninth and tenth, respectively.
Davenport was also the top BC finisher in the men's 200-meter dash. The freshman sprinter clocked 22.90, good for sixth. Gabe Wylie was the next best BC finisher, placing 11th with a 23.32 second run.
Ben Baker was the lone competitor for the Eagles in the men's 400-meter dash. Baker placed 12th, stopping the clock at 54.19 seconds.
Bridgewater's freshman distance pack had a strong showing in the men's 800-meter. Gavin Diehl bested the field, crossing the line in two minutes. Grayson Jacquez finished fourth, clocking 2:03.11.
Malakai Wettig was the top finisher for the Eagles in the mile. Wettig crossed the line fourth, clocking 4:32.92. Kaedon Howley placed sixth, stopping the clock at 4:35.59.
Jayden Brown finished first in the men's 60-meter hurdles, crossing the line at 8.51 seconds. Trey Birchett finished third, clocking 9.08.
The Eagles head to Salem, Va., on Friday, Jan. 30 to compete in the Bast-Cregger Invitational. The two-day meet will be hosted by Roanoke.
