COLUMBIA, SC (January 16, 2023) – The Claflin University men’s and women’s indoor track & field teams wasted little time in making an impact when the teams had some strong performances at the Gamecock Opener, Saturday. Both teams returned to action with some great performances in various events at the meet.
“The women’s team showed good improvement from the December meet,” said Claflin track & field head coach Garon Jackson said. “On the men’s side, the middle distance carried the load.”
The Lady Panthers saw several terrific performances in multiple events on the track. Sophomore Zoe Adams continued to be a dominant force in long sprints as she placed eighth in the women’s 200m dash with a 25.82. She followed the effort with a fifth-place finish in the women’s 400m dash with a 57.80. Both times were good enough to place among the top five in the Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association (CIAA). Freshman Phejana Burnside had a strong performance in the women’s 60m hurdles when the ran a 9.72 to finish 11th in the event. The time placed her among the top 10 in the CIAA.
In the men’s events, the Panthers saw a pair of newcomers along with some of the team’s key top upperclassmen showed up big for the team. The freshman duo Reginald Gore and Jakarriez Sanders both had some great performances in the men’s 800m run. Gore led the way with a 1:58.88 to place eighth in the event. His time leads all men’s runners in the CIAA currently. Fellow freshman Jakarriez Sanders placed 11th with a 2:01.11, also a top five time in the CIAA as well. Senior Caleb Patterson placed 24th with a 2:08.16. In the men’s mile run, he ran a 4:51.97 to place 34th.
The middle distance weren’t the only ones running well for the Panthers. Freshman Jonathan Flemister placed ninth in the men’s 200m dash with a 22.44. The time placed him among the top 10 in the CIAA. Junior Chandar Anderson ran a 22.83 to place 14th in the event. He also had a great performance in the men’s 400m dash where he placed ninth with a 49.84. He ranks sixth in the CIAA in the event.
The Lady Panthers and Panthers will return to action, Friday, when the team will return to Columbia, South Carolina to take part in the Carolina Challenge. For more information on Lady Panthers and Panthers track & field, contact the Claflin University Office of Athletics Media Relations at (803) 535-5548 or log on to www.athletics.claflin.edu.