Chattanooga distance runner Lesley Green set a personal record and broke the Samford Invite record for the women’s 5000 meter while three men’s cross country runners topped the meet record in the same event.
Green finished second and ran the 5K in a time of 17:36.44, besting her previous indoor top time by 26.04 seconds at the Birmingham Cross Plex Friday afternoon. The previous top time for the meet was 19:19.91 set by UT Tyler’s Natasa Carcano on January 22, 2021.
“The 5K bunch ran superb for this early in the season,” Mocs head coach Andy Meyer said.
“Lesley ran steady for the first half of the race and accelerated each 800 meters after that. She caught several and had a great last 600 meters.”
In the men’s 5000-meter run, Aaron Isbell, Lane Hollis and Jonathan Boyd all broke the meet record. Isbell placed third overall with a time of 15:17.10. Hollis was on his heels with a time of 15:17.71 and Jonathan Boyd was fifth at 15:21.77. UT Tyler’s Lorenzo Chavez held the previous meet record of 15:21.80 set last January.
“The guys had the same race plan as Lesley,” Meyer said. “They guys all worked together and had a great second half of the race. They accelerated through the field and finished third through sixth. 800 meters into the race we held the last six spots but the guys worked hard and stayed focused and ran great.”
Kimbra Dunning finished a tenth of a second off her previous best indoor track time in the 60 meter dash with a time of 8.22 while Sage Davis was 31 hundredths of a second off her previous top time in the race at 8.34 seconds.
“All of our sprinters were under 8.5 in the 60 which is where they need to be right now,” Meyers observed. “We now have to work on finishing the last 20 meters.”
Dunning did, however, set a PR in the long jump, edging out her previous distance at 5.33 meters. Sydney Cansler set a personal best in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:57.51
“Kim went about two feet further than this time last year,” Meyer said of Dunning’s long jump performance. “She hit the board hard and carried speed down the runway. She followed up her long jump performance with a 200 meter PR. She is really making great progress this year.”
Kaigen Mulkey placed eighth in the mile, winning his heat with a time of 4:30.26
“Kaigen ran his first indoor mile,” Meyer said. “He won his heat running a very smart race, staying out of trouble and kicking everyone down the last 300 yards.
“Overall Coach Griffin and Coach Gadson had kids ready and prepared,” Meyer said. “The kids have really worked hard doing the holiday break and it showed. This is a great start to the season we’ve had in a while and I’m excited for our season ahead. Great start!”
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
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60m Dash – prelims
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24
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Kimbra Dunning
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8.22
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26
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Imani Bryant
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8.24
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28
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Gracie Morse
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8.29
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29
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Sage Davis
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8.34
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60m Hurdles – prelims
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17
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Gracie Morse
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9.81
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200m Dash
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23
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Kimbra Dunning
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27.75
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24
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Sage Davis
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27.81
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Mile Run
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9
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Justine Glass
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5:08.59
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12
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Emma Russum
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5:13.26
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20
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Ashtyn Hagood
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5:24.37
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23
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Faith Brown
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5:32.61
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400m Dash
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18
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Carley Burt
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1:09.58
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19
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Rebekah Pass
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1:14.70
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800m Run
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11
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Emmy Davis
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2:23.71
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24
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Sydney Cansler
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2:57.51
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3000m Run
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5
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Justine Glass
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10:07.12
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6
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Emma Russum
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10:15.38
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5000m Run
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2
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Lesley Green
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17:36.44
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4
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Allie Potter
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19:31.72
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7
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Hannah Dearing
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20:08.44
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8
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Camden Morris
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20:14.47
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Long Jump
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11
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Kimbra Dunning
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5.33m
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Mile Run
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8
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Kaigen Mulkey
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4:30.26
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15
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Eammon O’Bryant
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4:51.63
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3000m Run
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12
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Kaigen Mulkey
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9:03.22
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5000m Run
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3
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Aaron Isbell
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15:17.10
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4
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Lane Hollis
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15:17.71
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5
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Jonathan Boyd
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15:21.77
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6
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Ryan Phillips
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15:21.91
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10
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Jasper Wilson
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15:38.61
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12
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Eric Mitchell
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16:18.07
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