WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. | The Young Harris College track & field teams showcased a strong effort at the Conference Carolinas Indoor Championships on Sunday and Monday (Feb. 23-24) at the JDL Fast Track, with standout performances from freshman athletes Brynley Walraven and Ryland Hunley leading the way. Several Mountain Lions earned top placements, posted personal bests, and moved up the conference rankings as the indoor season came to a close. 

QUOTE FROM DIRECTOR OF TRACK & FIELD MATT LOGAN: 

"We are happy to come away with valuable experience as a 1st year program. I thought we competed hard and are very close in several event areas. Ryland was exceptional over the two days. He had personal bests in 6 of the 7 Heptathlon events. He was on a heater and he rode that momentum to a 2nd place finish in the conference. Brynley has been really consistent in training and we knew this was coming. She had a special day. To finish 2nd as a freshman is quite the accomplishment. 18 of our 22 athletes who competed today are freshman. I like where we are headed." 

Hunley delivered a stellar showing in the men's heptathlon, securing multiple top finishes and earning a 2nd-place overall finish in the conference. He claimed first place in the long jump (6.21m) and pole vault (3.60m), while also finishing second in the high jump (1.84m) and the 60m dash (7.35). He added a fourth-place finish in both the 60m hurdles (10.26) and 1000m (3:16.03), as well as a third-place result in the shot put (9.06m). Hunley also competed in the individual pole vault event, placing sixth with a clearance of 3.58m. 

On the track, Walraven continued her standout freshman campaign with a second-place finish in the women's 800-meter run, clocking 2:25.42 to earn eight points for the Mountain Lions. In the same event, freshman Cadence McClung placed 23rd with a time of 2:46.61. In distance events, freshman Noah Mason shined in the men's mile, running 4:27.85 to finish ninth, while freshman Aidan Vrazel recorded a 14th-place finish in the 3000m (9:04.92). In the men's 5000m, Liam King (15:43.62) and Brayden Figgins (15:46.13) placed 10th and 11th, respectively. 

Other notable performances included freshman Julia Hargrove finishing 14th in the women's 5000m (20:24.88), while freshman Emily Baars competed in two distance events, placing 20th in the 3000m (12:05.22) and 18th in the 5000m (21:37.42). 

In relay events, the Mountain Lions' women's distance medley relay team (Chesney Johnson, Harper Hubbard, Piper Marsingill, and Emma Anderson) secured an 8th-place finish in 14:27.71, adding one point to the team's total. The men's 4x400m relay team (Noah Scheuer, Ryder Holland, Luke Sigman, and Xander Potter) finished 12th in 3:39.15, while the women's 4x400m relay team (Harper Hubbard, Brynley Walraven, Cadence McClung, and Piper Marsingill) placed 11th in 4:34.73. Additionally, the men's distance medley relay team (Ryder Holland, Noah Scheuer, Austin Dezwart, and Xander Potter) clocked 11:07.31 to finish ninth. 

Up Next:

The Mountain Lions shift their focus to the outdoor season, with their first meet set for March 8th at the 2025 Berry Victor Ice Breaker Duals in Salem, Virginia.