The Washington and Lee University men's and women's track and field teams delivered strong performances on the first day of the Bast-Cregger Invitational in Salem, Virginia. Both squads secured several first-place finishes across various events, with personal bests highlighting the day's achievements. Action continues on Saturday with finals in several races.
The Bast-Cregger Invitational kicked off on Friday in Salem, Virginia, where the Washington and Lee University track and field teams competed in a series of events. The women's team started strong in the 60m hurdles preliminaries, with Piper Shannon posting the fourth-fastest time of 9.36 seconds, followed by Lucy Buchmayr in sixth at 9.62 seconds and Joanne Lee in seventh at 9.68 seconds. All three advanced to Saturday's finals at 12:35 p.m.
In the pole vault, Mad McMurphy claimed first place by clearing 3.58 meters (11 feet, 9 inches) on her second attempt, while Layla Keadle took second at 3.43 meters (11 feet, 3 inches). Abby Cholewa and Gabby Pullen tied for fourth at 2.98 meters (9 feet, 9.25 inches). Lilly Versen advanced to the 60m dash finals after a fifth-place semifinal time of 8.02 seconds, improving from her preliminary of 8.16 seconds; the final is set for 12:50 p.m. Saturday.
Camille Gillum won the high jump, tying for first at 1.60 meters (5 feet, 3 inches), and Simone Kasischke tied for seventh at 1.50 meters (4 feet, 11 inches). In the 5,000 meters, the women's distance runners occupied third through seventh: Adelaide Ellis in third at 15:51.81, Eve Spencer in fourth with a personal best of 18:54.74, Sarah Clark fifth at 19:20.02, Brianna Breyault sixth at 19:41.06, and Josie Engle seventh at 19:53.39. Olivia D'Ambrosia also set a personal best in the 60m dash at 8.38 seconds.
The men's team matched the women's success, with Macky Gartley leading the 60m hurdles preliminaries in 8.22 seconds to qualify for the 12:43 p.m. final on Saturday. In the 5,000 meters, William Dunaway won with a personal best of 15:02.52, followed by Jackson Kodenski in second at 15:27.91 and Thomas Franklin in third at 15:30.85; Colin Verrett placed eighth at 15:55.98. Evan Langhammer took first in the pole vault at 4.50 meters (14 feet, 9 inches), and Lukas Michael achieved a season best of 4.05 meters (13 feet, 3.5 inches) for eighth place. Mark Freeman set a personal best in the 60m dash at 7.12 seconds.
Both teams return to action Saturday at 10 a.m. for the meet's second day.
