MILL SPRINGS, N.C. | The Young Harris College men's and women's indoor track & field teams returned to action Friday at the Tryon College Banked Invitational. With conference championship season fast approaching, several Mountain Lions posted strong performances in a field packed with Division II talent. 

QUOTE FROM DIRECTOR OF TRACK & FIELD MATT LOGAN:

"We had some bright spots and some conference qualifiers. Potter was really good in the mile. Lexi had a really gritty 5k opener, and Bryn opened up well. As a group we were a little underwhelming, but we have three weeks before conference to get it right and we're going to get it right." 

Men's Highlights:

• Xander Potter ran a personal best of 4:28.03 in the mile to place 16th overall and lead the Mountain Lions in that event. He returned later to anchor the men's distance medley relay 'A' team, which posted a time of 11:14.40, finishing in 6th place. 

• Matthew Honeycutt delivered a strong PR in the 3000 meters (Morning session), finishing 2nd in 9:18.09. 

• Dylan Stone placed 4th in the 5000 meters (15:58.46), while Nick Alonso (16:34.55) and Gabe Pattacini (16:44.78) rounded out a solid distance trio in the same heat. 

• Steven Johnson continued his consistent indoor season with a 2:00.71 in the 800 meters (18th) and also contributed to the relay. 

• Brayden Henry cleared a personal-best 4.15m (13'7.25") in the pole vault to place 9th overall. 

• Christopher Umukodo ran 7.29 in the 60m dash prelims, and Stacy Frison clocked a 54.64 in the 400m. Both also featured on relay squads. 

Women's Highlights:

• Lexi Greene, in the 5000-meter race, turned in a gritty opener as Coach Logan noted, clocking 19:22.13 to place 14th overall in a competitive field. 

• Brynley Walraven opened her season in the 800 meters with a 2:28.31 finish (28th) and later competed in the women's 'A' relay team that finished 8th. 

• Mary Proctor ran a personal best 27.97 in the 200 meters. 

• The women's distance medley 'B' relay team placed 7th overall, with a time of 14:27.58. 

• Julia Hargrove (12:32.23) and Caroline Bass (12:42.65) continued their indoor campaigns in the 3000 meters, while Peyton Martin (5:56.92) and Caitlynn Krumm 6:03.73) each ran in the mile. 

UP NEXT:

The Mountain Lions will compete this Saturday, Feb. 7, at the Camel City Distance meet in Winston-Salem, N.C., hosted at the JDL Fast Track.