Posted: May 04, 2023

White and Andrews named SAC Athletes of the Meet as Catawba Women's Track and Field finish Third at SAC Championships; Men finish fifth

Anderson, SC-- The Catawba Track & Field teams wrapped up the South Atlantic Conference Outdoor Championship today hosted on the campus of Anderson University. Catawba's women's team finished in third place with a total of 135 points. The men placed fifth place with a total of 65 points. Catawba women's Track and Field claimed both Athlete of the Meet awards.

Rock Hill, South Carolina native and junior Raina Andrews was named the SAC Track Athlete of the Meet. Senior MeKayla White competing at her last SAC Championship would win the SAC Field Athlete of the meet.

In the women's 800-meter run, Andrews finished in first place to take the SAC crown with a time of 2:14.30. Teammate Natalie Almond finished seventh in the event for Catawba with a time of 2:20.40. Andrews would go on to claim her second championship medal in the women's 1500m with a finishing time of 4:32.68. Once again teammate Natalie Almond would join Andrews in the event claiming another podium spot for Catawba finishing in third place with a time of 4:34.89.

In the long jump event, senior MeKayla White would finish second in the event with a jump of 6 meters while teammate Efemena Egberi finished fifth in the event with a mark of 5.57. Wrapping up her final SAC outdoor meet, White would also claim a second-place finish in the triple jump for Catawba with a jumping distance of 11.72m.

Samantha Payne secured the conference title in the women's 400m event. She finished with a time of 54.16. Payne would see her second podium finish of the SAC Championship when she placed second in the 200m run with a time of 25.15. Efemena Egberi also competed in the event for Catawba finishing in sixth place running a time of 25.17.

Madison Clay continued her successful season winning two SAC titles with first-place finishes in the women's 5K and 10K. Clay had a time of 17:14.89 in the 5K and finished with a time of 35:02.59 in the 10K. Mikayla Jones would also claim a podium finishing alongside Clay in the 5K event. She placed third with a time of 17:46.89 for Catawba.

Senior Skylar Payne won the women's 400m hurdles event with a time of 1:02.21 to become the SAC Champion. Teammate Gianna Gutierrez, who was also competing in the event, brought home fifth place with a time of 1:04.78 scoring more points for the team.

Catawba's star-studded 4 x 400 women's relay team claimed the first-place finish in one of the highly anticipated events of the meet. A team of Gutierrez, Andrews, Skylar Payne, and Samantha Payne finished with a time of 3:51.65.

Carmen Bishop competed for Catawba in the women's heptathlon as well as competing in the women's javelin where Bishop would set a new school record and win the event with a throw of 38.78m. Bishop also won the heptathlon shotput contest with a throw of 10.68m.

Antonio Howard would claim a huge win for Catawba on day one of the meet when he won the men's long jump competition with a jump of 7.49. That jump would give Howard the new school record in the event as well as garner him an NCAA provisional qualifying mark. Catawba would not be done just there as teammate Javier Gomez-Wilson would place second in the event for the one-two finish. Gomez-Wilson had a mark of 7.40m.

On the women's side of the long jump event, senior MeKayla White would finish second in the event with a jump of 6 meters while teammate Efemena Egberi finished fifth in the event with a mark of 5.57. Wrapping up her final SAC outdoor meet, White would also claim a second-place finish in the triple jump for Catawba with a jumping distance of 11.72m.

Everette Rhymer finished in second place in the men's 800m with a time of 1:53.06.

Erick Ramirez took home two Top-10 finishes for Catawba finishing in fifth place in the men's 5K with a time of 14:42.06 and placing sixth in the men's 1500 meters with a time of 3:55.78.

Rashaun Noble had back-to-back days of breaking the Catawba school record in the men's 100 hurdles. In Thursday's finals heat of the event, Noble secured a fourth-place finish with a time of 14.82.

Kierra Jones set a new Catawba school record in the women's 100m prelims on Thursday finishing with a time of 12.05.

Chandon Smith represented Catawba's men's team in the 400m hurdles. He would finish just off the podium with a time of 53.34 for a fourth-place finish.

Barja Walter set a school record in the men's 200 meters on Wednesday's qualifying heat with a time of 20.95. In Thursday's finals, Walter would see a sixth-place finish for Catawba.

In the men's 4x100 relay, a Catawba squad of Nazir Reid, Justin Glaze, Noble, and Walter would finish with a time of 40.71 to claim a fourth-place finish.

Women's SAC Championship (Points)