LYNCHBURG, Va. (Feb. 4, 2023) - It was another successful afternoon on the track for the Georgian Court Lions. The team traveled south to Lynchburg, Va. to compete at the Liberty Open on a 200m banked track.

Distance
• An early highlight of the meet came from GCU distance runner Alec Valle. Valle set the Lions 10K record in cross country back in November. He can add a record on the track now. For 5,000m, Valle ran 15:30.11 to finish in fourth place overall. After coming within two seconds of the record last time he raced at 5,000, Valle got the job done this time around.
• Valle wasn't the only Lion on the track for 5,000m. Thomas Rosky and Joseph Jamolawicz both ran their first collegiate 5K. Rosky finished in 17:23.85 and Jamolawicz in 18:02.33 to enter the GCU top-10 in seventh and eighth place. 
• Also earning a top-10 finish was Xavier Seals in the 800m. He placed sixth running 1:56.41.
• Kevin Knoetig and Dylan Navarro each ran the mile. They finished close to each other with Knoetig running 4:44.16 and Navarro 4:46.66.
• Sean Donnamaria moved into sixth all-time at GCU in the 500m. He bettered his time from earlier this season running 1:07.86, good for sixth place in the meet. 
• For the women, Amirah Beasley also ran a personal-best. At 800m she crossed in 2:29.13 for 17th place. 

Jumps
• It was a good afternoon for the Lion jumpers. All three national qualifiers improved upon their marks. In the long jump, Aniyah Russell won the event jumping 19-7. Heading into the meet, that mark would have had her ninth in the country.
• In the triple jump, the Lions had another event winner. Jeshurun Devero bettered his own school record jumping 47-10.5 for the win.
• Shanae Rayside took second place in the women's triple jump with a mark of 38-5, a new indoor personal-best. 
• Elena Martinez-Rodriguez (36-0) finished fifth and Jaison-Ashley Pleva (35-7.75) took sixth in the triple. 
• Dylan Breen had a top-10 place in the men's long jump with his mark of 21-1.25 good for ninth.
• Moving to the vertical jumps, Jan Volkmar was the winner of the men's pole vault. He cleared 15-3.
• Julian Rodriguez finished ninth in the high jump getting over the bar at 5-10.75 which puts him in a tie for seventh all-time at Georgian Court. 
• Nina Casalino and Hannah Gravante each tied for ninth by clearing 9-0.25 in the pole vault. 

Sprints/Hurdles
• Volkmar had a successful afternoon on the track as well. He made the finals of the 60m hurdles, running 8.65 in the prelims, but did not start in the final round.
• Also in the 60m hurdles, Shalom Adzakro just missed the finals placing ninth in 9.62.
• Noah Roach led the short sprinters running 7.20 for 60m and 23.02 for 200m.
• Domenico Darcy rann both the 200m and 400m. He finished 200m in 23.72 and 400 in 53.24.
• Aliyah Thorpe was tops for the Lion women for 400m running 1:03.91. 

Throws
• Elena Keck and Sheridan Martinez threw both the shot put and weight throw. Keck set an indoor PR in the shot put throwing 36-2.75 for 11th place. She also had a mark of 32-1 in the weight.
• Martinez PR'd in the weight throw with her mark of 29-0.5. She threw 30-1.5 in the shot put.

Up next Georgian Court will have one final meet before the ECC Championships. They'll compete next Friday, Feb. 10 at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island.