Rio men finish 7th at Charleston

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande men's track and field team had a number of notable performances spread across three different meets over the weekend.
     The majority of the RedStorm competed in Friday's Golden Eagle Invitational hosted by the University of Charleston at UC Stadium/Laidley Field in Charleston, W.Va., while others took part in Lee University's Fast Break Athletics Invitational on Friday and Saturday in Cleveland, Tenn. and two racewalkers participated in the VertKlasse Meeting hosted by High Point University in High Point, N.C.
     Junior Marshall Jackson (Zanesfield, OH) led Rio in Charleston with a trio of Top 10 performances, taking fifth place in the hammer throw with a toss of 45.85m and placing 10th in both the shot put (12.27m) and the discus throw (130'8").
     Three other Rio representatives posted two Top 10 outings each.
     Freshman Rowen Gerlach (New Haven, WV) was fourth in the discus throw with a toss of 147'6" and was sixth in the shot put at 13.41m, while sophomore Hunter Blagg (Pedro, OH) was fifth in the triple jump with an effort covering 11.98m and seventh in the long jump at 5.77m.
     Sophomore Daunevyn Woodson (Charleston, WV) took ninth place in both the 100-meter dash (11.35) and the long jump (5.65m).
     Also posting Top 10 outings for Rio Grande was senior Chase McClay (McDermott, OH), who was fourth in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 17.03; junior Jorden Williams (Springfield, OH), who was fifth in the 110 hurdles after crossing in 17.12; freshman Garrett Fister (Harrodsburg, KY), who was ninth in the 110 hurdles at 19.36; and senior Haden Karshner (Circleville, OH), who was ninth in the hammer throw with a toss of 42.42m.
     The RedStorm finished seventh in the 13-team field with 27 points. Host University of Charleston won the team title with 214 points, with West Liberty (90) and Central State (78) rounding the top three.
     At Lee University, Rio scored just four points and finished in a tie for 24th place in the 31-team field, but still had a quartet of outings to note.
     Freshman Teddy Jencson (Baltimore, OH) won his heat and finished fifth overall in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:40.65. Running in the event for just the second time ever, his mark was the 15th-fastest time in the NAIA this year and 50 seconds quicker than his first attempt.
     Freshman Kasy Science (Marietta, OH) finished 16th in the 800-meter run with a personal-best time of 1:55.50 - a mark that ranks 45th in the NAIA and Rio's fastest showing iun the event since 2019.
     Sophomore Tyler Jenkins (Barnesville, OH) narrowly missed the "A" qualifying standard for the NAIA National Championships, but easily made the "B" standard by finishing 20th in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 31:05.04.
     In the same event, junior Danuel Persinger (Bidwell, OH) finished 29th in a time of 31:33.73 - Rio's third-fastest showing in the past 20 years. It was Persinger's first-ever go at the event and he finished 14 seconds shy of hitting the "B" qualifying mark.
     Host Lee University won the team crown with 198 points, while Tiffin University (110 pts.) was the runner-up. Berry (Fla.) was third with 71 points.
     At High Point, graduate senior AJ Gruttadauro (Brockport, N.Y.) took first place in a mixed gender 5,000-meter race walk, crossing the line in a time of 24:14.87
     Rio Grande is scheduled to return to action this weekend at a pair of events.
     A portion of the team will be at Ball State University's We Fly Track & Field Challenge in Muncie, Ind. on both Friday and Saturday.
     Others will participate in Ohio University's Cherry Blossom Invitational on Friday in Athens, Ohio.