WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Newberry College men's and women's indoor track and field teams each had their best-ever performances at the South Atlantic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday and Sunday. The women's team finished in sixth place overall, while the men finished eighth as both teams bested their preseason projections of 10th overall in the conference.

At the meet, the Wolves set two SAC Championships records, a whopping nine school records, and also hit three NCAA Qualifying marks.

"I couldn't be prouder of how we competed this weekend. The energy was electrifying and it's easily goes down as one of the best conference meets we have had in our program's history," said Head Men's and Women's Track and Field Coach Mashario Morton. "We brought home a lot of personal bests, nine school records, five podium finishes, two conference champions, and both of them respectively broke the meet records.

"To have two athletes hold the top marks ever in the SAC is an impressive feat and something we do not take lightly."

One of the performances Coach Morton is referring to occurred on Day 1 of the event, as last week's SAC Indoor Field Athlete of the Week Jase Hunter (McDonough, Ga.) just edged teammate Parker Pitts (Prosperity, S.C.) with a throw of 18.64 meters (61 feet, two inches) to win first place in the men's weight throw competition. Pitts' throw of 17.89 meters (58 feet, 8.5 inches) gave the Wolves the top two positions on the board.

Not only did their throws break Newberry records, they each broke the previous SAC Championships record to boot; Hunter's throw was enough to clear the NCAA Qualifying marks.

The other SAC Championships record broken by the Wolves was courtesy of the women's weight throwers, who were likewise spectacular for the Wolves. Irma Watson-Perez (Sanford, Fla.) annihilated the SAC Championships record and took first place with a throw of 17.83 meters (58 feet, six inches). That throw set a Newberry record, hit the NCAA Qualifying mark, and was an astonishing six feet further than her closest competitor.

Teammates Andrea Pascual-Rivera (Tarragona, Spain), ShaNadia Marshall (Columbia, S.C.) and Kennedy Myers (Hopkins, S.C.) gave Newberry four placers in the top 10 for the category.

"It is hard to express how proud I am of these student-athletes and this coaching staff," Jimmy Stephens, Director of Track and Field/Cross Country at Newberry College, said. "We fought hard and we continue to improve as a team in every meet. This conference is so strong and so deep, every point is a battle and our team battled like champions. Brick by brick we will keep building."

Haille Rogers was another of the Wolves to set a school record on Day 1: She ran a 21:57.06 in the women's 5000-meter run to finish fifth overall. Freshman Janiyah Gardner's (Hepzibah, Ga.) long jump of 5.67 meters set yet another Newberry record, hitting the NCAA Qualifying mark while giving her a top 3 showing at the event.

Rounding out the impressive Day 1 performance for the Wolves were both the men's and women's distance medley relay teams: the women finished seventh while the men finished eighth. It was the first time in Newberry history that both teams earned points in the distance medley relay at the SAC Indoor Championships.

"Our coaching staff did an amazing job preparing our athletes for Conference," Coach Morton said. "Selecting the right person for the right job is a large part of coaching and I think we've got the perfect mix with our coaching staff. To be a successful team, your student-athletes have to be bought in to what the coaches are doing and it's safe to say our student-athletes are doing just that."
 
On Sunday at Day 2 of the meet, freshman Zach Counts (Summerville, S.C.) broke a Newberry record in the men's shot put with a throw of 15.08 meters (49 feet, 5.75 inches) to finish in third place; the throw also temporarily broke a JDL Fast Track record.

Gardner made a speedy return to the Newberry record books on Day 2, earning a top 10 showing in the triple jump with a distance of 11.2 meters (36 feet, nine inches). Also on Day 2, Sarah Abumere (Waynesboro, Ga.) broke Newberry records in both the women's 60- and 200-meter dashes with times of 7.79 and 25.65 seconds, respectively. Adding to the Newberry record-breakers on Sunday was Emma Johnson (Clover, S.C.) in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.00 seconds.

Putting a bow on the fruitful weekend, the men's 4x400 meter relay topped the Newberry record books with a time of 3:29.08 for an eighth-place result.

"Our student-athletes have worked hard all season long and have been resilient through all the obstacles," said Coach Morton. "It's so good to see our program getting the credit that it deserves. We will celebrate this moment for a little bit but then it's back to the drawing board as we get ready to compete in outdoor."