Keitt and Henry Down School Records at Liberty Open

LYNCHBURG, Va. – King College Track and Field completed its final event prior to the Conference Carolinas Championships, finished strong across all areas at the 2012 Liberty Open, hosted by Liberty University in Blacksburg, Va. Sixteen personal records fell, two school records tumbled, and one runner took the top spot in their respective event.

King saw two school records fall in the women's long jump and the women's hammer throw. Tia Keitt (Dallas, Ga.) hit the 5.59-meter mark to set a new bar in the event in King history and finished third overall.

Maegan Henry broke the King record in the women's hammer throw, her best toss reaching 40.21 meters to break the current school mark. She finished 16^th out of the 31-person field of competitors.

Fourteen different personal records fell between the men's and women's teams and one racer took home a win her respective event.

The women's distance runners controlled the 5,000 meter dash and placed three inside the top-5 standings. Hannah Witt (Mountain City, Tenn.) continued to run strong, as the reigning 10k school record holder won the Liberty Open 5k race with an 18:14.94 finish time. Teammates Kendra Sokol (Kingsport, Tenn.) and Evan Ferrell (Richlands, Va.) finished second and fourth, respectively, out of the 19-person field. Sokol ran the race in 18:25.53 and Farrell finished close behind setting a new personal record with a time of 18:32.99. This is the third straight event Ferrell has lowered her own PR.

The women's 400-meter dash featured three Lady Tornado runners inside the top-5, as well. Atlanta Westbrook (Spring Hill, Tenn.) finished the race with a 58.88 time, good for a second place overall finish and new personal record. Ashley Ruth (Cleveland, Tenn.) and Lanneickia Brewton (Inman, S.C.) finished a dead-lock for fourth place with identical times of 59.76. Ruth also set a new PR with her performance.

Five personal records fell among the throwers group, in addition to Henry's school record. On the women's side, Cheyenne Thornsbury (Bristol, Tenn.) set a good pace to be ranked inside the top-6 of the conference in the hammer throw with 37.32m toss and a 20^th place finish in the event. In the women's javelin Miranda Broesche (Cleveland, Tenn.) threw a 26.21m toss, setting a new personal record and finishing 11^th in the competition.

Among the men's throwers, freshmen Rickey Bell (Advance, N.C.) and Tom Lamkin (Troy Glove, Ill.) each set new personal records. Bell set two different PRs, one in the men's hammer (12.48m) and the second in the shot put (44.34m). Lamkin threw 45.46m in the men's hammer to set his new PR. Both are primed for a top-3 finish as the team enters the end of the conference season.

The men's sprinters three top-10 finishes and a series of personal records broken. Justin Newring (Knoxville, Tenn.) set two personal best finishes in the 200- and 400-meter races, finishing in the top-10 in each race. The freshman ran 22.42 and finished eighth out of 42 racers in the 200-meter race while finishing 50.97 and in 10^th place in the 400-meter race. Sophomore Jordan Tippens (Knoxville, Tenn.) also set a new personal best in the 400 meters, finishing fifth overall in the event with a 49.50 finish time.

Two other members of the men's team set multiple personal best in their respective events. Jordan Noe, who qualified for the USA Junior Championships at the 49er Classic (March 16-17), set new personal bests in the 800 meters (2:00.00) and 1,500 meters (4:05.61). Freshman Forrest Stuart (Appalachia, Va.) continued his strong showing and all-around skill in the 110-meter hurdles (15.33) and the long jump (6.84m), setting new PRs in each. Stuart finished fifth and seventh, respectively, in those two events.

Other notable performances include Reggie Warren's 11^th place finish (11.19) in the 100 meters and Earl Rahming, who ran the 800-meter race for the first time this year with a 1:59.39 time and a ninth place finish.

Among the King relay teams, the men's 4x100 squad excelled with a 40.57 finish in the event, good for a fifth place finish out of 11 teams. The relay team consisted of Jordan Tippens, Forrest Stuart, Justin Newring, and Reggie Warren.

Complete results for King participants are outlined below with personal and school records dictated.

The Liberty Open marks the last event prior to the Conference Carolinas Championships, held April 20-21 in Banner Elk, N.C. Lees-McRae College will host the championship meet.