WINSTON-SALEM, NC| The Young Harris College men's and women's track & field teams made their 2024-25 season debut on Saturday (Dec. 7) at the JDL Fast Track. Young Harris had athletes compete in eight different events, with 21 athletes competing in various events (10 men and 11 women). The women competed in the 200m, 600m, 800m, and one mile; the men competed in the 800m, one mile, 3000m, and the pole vault. The Mountain Lions delivered standout performances across the board, with multiple athletes emerging as top performers in Conference Carolinas for their events. Notably, several freshman runners led the pack, achieving the best marks among all conference freshmen. The best finish of the day came from Ryder Holland in the Men's 800m, as the Mountain Lions freshman finished in 6th place.

QUOTE FROM DIRECTOR OF TRACK & FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY MATT LOGAN: 

"It's a historic day for YHC athletics and I wouldn't want to be here with any other group of athletes. We had really good energy today and it showed in our performances. I thought our men's and women's 800m group really competed well, and Harper Hubbard overcame her nerves to give us a great performance in the 200m. We are going to rest up and get ready for tomorrow." 

INSIDE THE MEN'S PERFORMANCE: 

• The first YHC competitor of the day was Ryland Hunley, who finished in 10th place at the men's pole vault (3.50m) as a freshman. 

• The second event of the day for the men's track & field team was the 3000m; Brayden Figgins (FR) and Matthew Honeycutt (JR) ran the event. Figgins came in 22nd place (second best freshman performance in Conference Carolinas), with a time of 9:11.71. Honeycutt finished in 31st place. 

• The third event that the Young Harris College men's T&F team competed in was the 800m; the Mountain Lions sported three runners for this event: Ryder Holland (FR), Luke Sigman (SO), and Noah Scheuer (FR). Holland placed 6th in the event, with a time of 2:02.58 (the third best placement for a freshman in our conference). Sigman finished in 10th place (2:04.73) and Scheuer came in 13th (2:08.34). 

• The final event of the day on the men's side was the one mile, and YHC sent out: Noah Mason (JR), Aidan Vrazel (FR), Xander Potter (FR), and Gabe Pattacini (FR). The best time came from Noah Mason (4:37.98), coming in 16th place (the best placement of any Conference Carolinas competitor in the one mile). Vrazel (4:41.33) and Potter (4:43.70) ended with the two best freshman conference performances in the one mile, coming in 22nd and 24th place, respectively. Pattacini finished in 44th place.  

INSIDE THE WOMEN'S PERFORMANCE: 

• The YHC women's day began at 1:30 p.m. with the 600m Run, where the lone Young Harris competitor was Piper Marsingill (SO). Piper had the second fastest time of any Conference Carolinas competitor in the event, finishing in 17th place (1:51.90). 

• The next event on the women's side was the 800m Run, and the Mountain Lions sent out five runners to represent the newfound program: Brynley Walraven (FR), Ashley Mendoza (FR), Cadence McClung (FR), Brianna Dalton (SO), and Chesney Johnson (FR). Walraven tore up the competition, placing 10th with a time of 2:36.22 in the 800m; Brynley also had the second fastest time of any Conference Carolinas competitor, and the best of any freshman from any school (D2 or D1). Mendoza (15th) and McClung (17th) were not far behind, with times of 2:47.81 and 2:49.99, respectively; also finishing with the second and third best times of any conference freshman. Brianna Dalton (22nd) and Chesney Johnson (24th) finished with times just over the three-minute mark. 

• The third event that the Mountain Lions women's track & field squad competed in was the 200m. Freshman runner Harper Hubbard was the lone YHC competitor in this event, and she finished in 30th place with a time of 28.50. 

• The final event of the day for the YH women was the one mile; Young Harris sent out Emma Anderson (FR), Emily Baars (SO), Julia Hargrove (FR), and Natalie Payne (FR). Anderson put up the best performance of any Conference Carolinas freshman runner, placing 23rd, with a time of 5:59.56. Baars (27th), Hargrove (29th), and Payne (30th) rounded out the Mountain Lions women's one mile athletes. 

UP NEXT:  

The Mountain Lions track & field teams will compete again tomorrow (Dec. 8) at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, NC for the JDL Early Bird Invitational, with competition beginning at 9:30 post meridiem.