WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. | The Young Harris College men's and women's track & field teams wrapped up an impressive weekend of competition on Sunday (Dec. 8) at the JDL Early Bird Invitational, held at the JDL Fast Track. Competing in their second meet in as many days, the Mountain Lions showed resilience and determination, with 11 women and 10 men representing YHC in various events. 

The women competed in the 400m, 800m, one mile, and 3000m, while the men took part in the one mile, 3000m, pole vault, and 5k. Building on their momentum from Saturday's season debut, several athletes recorded notable performances and continued to establish themselves as athletes to keep track of in Conference Carolinas. Freshman YHC runner Brayden Figgins had an incredible day, finishing 2nd in the 5k, and earning an automatic qualifier. 

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

"Great ending to a long weekend. We had a couple of heat winners and Figgins ended up with an automatic qualifier in the 5k. I am really proud of our group. A lot of work ahead of us, but we're excited we get to do it together." 

Inside the Men's Performance: 

• Pole Vault: Freshman Ryland Hunley returned to compete in the pole vault and improved his performance from Saturday, clearing 3.55m (3.50 yesterday) to finish in 8th place. 

• 3000m Run: Junior Noah Mason led the Mountain Lions in the 3000m, placing 11th with a time of 9:14.66. Freshman Aidan Vrazel followed closely, crossing the line in 14th place (9:24.80). Xander Potter (FR) came in 15th place with a time of 9:30.41, and Gabe Pattacini (FR) finished in 24th place (9:58.55). Vrazel and Potter recorded the third and fourth fastest times of any Conference Carolinas freshman runner in the 3000m. 

• One Mile: Freshman Ryder Holland continued his strong weekend with a 15th-place finish (4:37.65), the top time of the meet for any Conference Carolinas freshman competitor. Luke Sigman (SO) and Noah Scheuer (FR) came in 22nd and 23rd place, with the former posting a time of 4:42.86 and the latter 4:44.34. 

• 5k: Freshman runner Brayden Figgins came in 2nd place with a time of 15:57.34, again, having the best placement of any freshman competitor in this event. Matthew Honeycutt (JR) finished in 5th place with a time of 16:11.63. Figgins earned an automatic qualifier.  

Inside the Women's Performance:

• 400m Dash: Freshman runners Harper Hubbard (1:06.83) and Ashley Mendoza (1:11.20) finished in 11th and 20th place in the unseeded portion of the event. Hubbard had the best performance by a conference freshman. Freshman runner Brynley Walraven placed 17th in the seeded bracket, posting a time of 1:07.0. 

• 800m Run: Freshman Chesney Johnson was the lone Mountain Lion in the 800m, and she finished in 12th place (3:00.94). Johnson's performance was the best by any Conference Carolinas competitor regardless of class in this event. 

• One Mile: Piper Marsingill (SO), Cadence McClung (FR), and Brianna Dalton (SO) competed for YHC in the one mile. Marsingill came in 18th place (6:08.16), McClung finished in 21st place (6:22.17), the best performance by any conference freshman. Dalton did not finish the one mile. 

• 3000m Run: Julia Hargrove (FR), Emily Baars (SO), Emma Anderson (FR), and Natalie Payne (FR) were the YH competitors in this event. Hargrove placed 13th (12:13.45), Baars placed 14th (12:18.95), Anderson placed 16th (12:19.58), and Payne placed 17th (12:23.60). Once again, Hargrove, Anderson, and Payne recorded the best placements in the 3000m for any Conference Carolinas freshman runners. 

UP NEXT: 

The Mountain Lions will use the holiday break to rest and refine their skills before returning to action in February for the South Alabama Invitational at Birmingham CrossPlex. This historic weekend, which marked the first two meets of Young Harris' inaugural indoor track & field season, sets the tone for a promising campaign ahead.