It was a record-setting weekend for the West Liberty University track and field teams as Coach Justin Simpson's men's and women's squads combined to set a total of 11 school records in meets at Ohio University and Bucknell University.
A trio of Hilltoppers had a hand in multiple records at OU's Cherry Blossom Invitational.
Hunter Patterson established new school standards for the 100 and 200-meter sprints while also running a leg on the record-setting 4x100 relay team. Sierra Lanham broke her own school record in the long jump, set a new school standard in the 100-meter sprint and ran a leg on the women's record-setting 4x100 relay team. Mikhi Anderson set a school record in the 110 hurdles and joined Patterson in running a leg on the 4x100 relay.
In addition to the record-setting performances, several other Hilltoppers made major moves up the qualifying ladder for the Mountain East Conference championship meet. The MEC Championships will be held April 30-May 2 at Bobcat Stadium on the campus of Frostburg State University.
Here's a look at all the West Liberty record-setters from the weekend, showing where they rank this spring at the conference and regional levels:
Hunter Patterson erased one of the oldest records in the WLU books with his NCAA provisional qualifying time of 10.49 seconds in the 100-meter sprint. The previous standard of 10.50 seconds had been set by Gary Murray in 1984. It's the fastest 100 meters in the region this spring while his 200-meter record of 21.45 seconds ranks among the top three regionally. He anchored the 4x100 relay team that posted a school-record 41.92 clocking – second in the MEC and Top 10 in the region.
Anderson also notched an NCAA provisional mark with his record-setting 14.40 in the 110 hurdles. It's the second-fastest in the region this spring. In addition, Anderson shared the school's 4x100 relay record with Hunter Patterson, Gage Patterson and Elian Lamar.
Ben Bumgarner's record-setting 5000 meter run at OU was also an NCAA provisional qualifying mark. His 14:23.78 clocking was the third-fastest time in the region this spring.
Running at the mammoth Bucknell meet on Sunday, Michael Harriman delivered a school-record time of 1:51.91 in the 800 meter run. It was the second-fastest time in the region this spring and less than a half-second off an NCAA provisional mark.
On the women's side, Lanham continued her spectacular freshman season. Her 5.66 meter long jump (18 feet, 7 inches) is the longest in the MEC this spring and tied for second in the region. She also set a school record with a time of 12.34 seconds in the 100 meter sprint and shared the 4x100 relay school record of 47.71 seconds with Maggie Kovalcik, Madison Cadle and Hailey Carreon. The 47.71 clocking is tops in the MEC and No. 6 regionally this spring.
Junior distance ace Hannah Kemp took nearly 20 seconds off her own school record in the 10000 meter run late Saturday night with a time of 36:47.88. That's the third-best 10K in the MEC this season and fourth in the Atlantic Region.
Rounding out the record book rewrite, sophomore thrower Suzan Johnson shattered a decade-old record in the hammer throw with a heave of 47.61 meters (156 feet, 2 inches). Eclipsing Kylie Emfinger's 2012 record of 46.26 meters by more than five feet, it's No. 1 in the MEC by nearly two feet and No. 6 in the region.
Coach Simpson and his Hilltopper squads will get back to their record pursuits on Wednesday with a short trip out Route 88 to the John Falconi Invitational at Bethany.
