LOUISVILLE, Ky.- Sitting in third place with 27 points entering the final day, the University of West Georgia men's track and field team delivered a statement performance at the ASUN Indoor Track & Field Championships, finishing the meet with six personal records, one UWG school record, an ASUN meet record, and three podium finishes, including one gold medal. The Wolves capped the championship with 86 total points to secure a fourth place team finish.
Heptathlon
Day two began with the conclusion of the heptathlon, featuring the 60m hurdles, pole vault, and 1000m. In the 60m hurdles, Kellen Andrews led UWG with a third place finish, clocking 8.73. Matthew Brunner followed closely, recording a personal best time of 8.94 to place fourth, while Conner Changizi added a personal best of 10.94.
In the pole vault, Brunner and Andrews paced the Wolves with matching marks of 3.32m. The heptathlon wrapped up in the 1000m, where Brunner surged to a first place finish in 2:50.90. Andrews added a fourth place effort with a time of 3:00.01 to conclude the multi-events competition.
Field Events
Nicholas Lane represented UWG in the shot put, posting a mark of 12.34m. The triple jump produced the Wolves' first podium finish of the day, as Godsfavor Adenuga placed third with a leap of 14.34m. Marcus Thompson Jr. followed with a strong 14.20m effort, and Ricky Griffin recorded a personal best mark of 13.64m. In the high jump, Blake Davis earned fourth place with a clearance of 1.96m, while Isaiah McMichael matched the mark to take fifth.
Running Events
Matt Strickland represented UWG in the 400m final, narrowly missing the podium with a time of 48.40. The 60m final delivered the highlight of the meet. Gavin Barlow exploded for a 6.65, breaking the ASUN Indoor Championship meet record, setting a new personal best, and surpassing his own UWG school record to claim the Wolves' lone gold medal of the weekend. Vaughn Dickenson Jr. added a personal best 6.84 in the event.
In the 200m final, Kyron Belton represented West Georgia with a time of 22.39.
Noah Anderson added another personal record in the 3000m, finishing in 8:41.06.
The Wolves closed the championship in thrilling fashion in the 4x400m relay. The team of Jackson Connors, Trey Campbell, Landon Chovanic, and Matt Strickland earned second place with a season best time of 3:16.60, just six tenths of a second shy of the program record set in 1981.
West Georgia concluded the ASUN Indoor Championships with a fourth place finish and 86 total points. With the indoor campaign complete, UWG now turns its focus to the outdoor season, beginning at the Yellow Jacket Invitational hosted by Georgia Tech on March 20-21.
