Track Tigers Open Indoor Season With New Records

Track Tigers Open Indoor Season With New Records | https://images.sidearmdev.com/

By Press release submission

Jan 30, 2023

The Savannah State's track Tigers opened the 2023 season last weekend with a statement.

The Savannah State men's and women's indoor track and field teams began their year at the Samford Invite on Jan. 21, followed the next day by the KMS Invite, both in Birmingham, Ala.

A loaded 2023 Savannah State team showed out with several personal bests, top finishes, and even one school record.

Junior Ravyn Cystrunk set a new personal best in the 200 meter run at KMS finishing fourth with a time of 25.76. Freshman Langsten Lilly was just behind her with a new personal best 26.59.

Sophomore Kennedy Spears finished second in the high jump at KMS, tying the school record and setting a new personal best with a 1.60m effort. Spears also set a new personal best in the triple jump, on the same day, finishing sixth with a 10.44m jump.

The day before, at the Samford Invite, true freshman Aiden Hallman finished second in the high jump with a with a personal best 1.95m effort—just shy of the school record, 1.97m, set by Andrew Stevenson in 2005.

Freshman Cameron Edwards—who doubles as a running back on the SSU football team—finished seventh in the same event, setting a new personal best record with a 1.90m jump. The next day, Edwards set a new personal best in the triple jump at KMS, finishing in third place with a 13.56m jump.

Sadrea Mabry won the long jump invite at Samford with a 5.40m effort. Newcomer Da'Aliyah Johnson was just behind her with a 5.37m jump.

Senior Kayla Chance—a two-time Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Cross Country Champion—finished atop the long distance run events in both meets.

At KMS, Chance finished third in the 800m run with a 2:23.87 and fourth in the mile run with a 5:27.00. At Samford, Chance ran a 5:36.32 to finish 13th in the mile run.

Sophomore sprinter Winfred Porter did well at both meets. Porter qualified for the 60m finals at Samford, finishing third in the preliminaries with a 6.88. He ran a 6.83 in the finals to finish fourth. In the 200m, at the same meet, Porter ran a 22.19, finishing in 10th place.

In the mile event at KMS, senior Erik Roberts set a new personal best running a 4:57.17.

Both Savannah State teams return to Birmingham on Feb. 5 for the Jaguar Invitational—the penultimate meet in the short indoor season. They close the indoor season on Feb. 17 at the USC Open in Columbia, S.C.

Indoor track and field is not an SIAC sponsored sport and therefore, there is no conference championship to vie for. But there is an opportunity for a post-season in the NCAA meet, if the runners qualify during the regular season.

The SIAC does sponsor outdoor track and field. The SSU outdoor season opens on Feb. 25 with the Savannah State Eyeopener and concludes April 27-29 with the 2023 SIAC Cricket SIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship.