Five Covenant track and field athletes medaled as the Scots opened the USA South Championships on Thursday on the campus of Berea College.
The men's team sits in third overall with 30 points, while the women are eighth with seven points. Piedmont leads both the men's and women's meet after the conclusion of day one. The meet continues throughout the day on Friday.
It is the first conference championship meet for the USA South since 1986 as the league now sponsors the sports.
It also marks the first time in Covenant program history that the Scots are competing for conference championships and awards.
Three men's athletes had runner-up finishes in their events, with two of those in field events. Michael Rawlings placed second in the javelin with a mark of 43.30 meters, while Cooper Hayes set a program record in the pole vault as he cleared 3.65 meters and also placed second. In the 3,000 meter steeplechase, Micaiah Allison posted a time of 10:18.19 to place second.
Covenant teams also had a pair of third place finishes in the 10,000 meter events. Hannah Samuels came in with a time of 43:30.65 in the women's run, while Matt Seitz was third in the men's event with a time of 34:34.93.
The Scots also saw some season-best performances. Ashleigh Baker finished sixth, and collected a point for Covenant, in the 3,000 meter steeplechase with a season-best time of 13:27.13. In the 200 meter preliminaries, Virginia Kay Roberts set a personal record and a team season-best mark of 28.51. Caleb Masters also set a personal record, and a top time for the Scots this season, in his 100 meter prelim with a time of 11.45.
The final day of the USA South Championships is set for Friday on the campus of Berea College.