Graham, Rivers place third in Baylor Invite 1500m

Saturday, April 8

Waco, Texas

All Day

Abilene Christian

Baylor Invitational

Photo by: Tim Nelson

Graham, Rivers place third in Baylor Invite 1500m

4/8/2017 8:43:00 PM | Track & Field

Final Baylor Invitational Results

WACO, Texas – Competing against a deep and talented field that included 15 schools from across the country, Abilene Christian track and field posted four top-five showings Saturday at Clyde Hart Stadium for the Baylor Invitational.

ACU's top finishers among this group were 1,500-meter runners Carnley Graham and Reid Rivers, each of whom placed third in their respective race. Rivers finished the course in 3:58.23, a time which was less than four seconds behind winner Matthew League of Baylor (3:54.42) and less than a second behind runner-up and Tulsa freshman Adam Breaux (3:57.95). Rivers' competition also included runners from UT Arlington, Central Michigan, UT Rio Grande Valley, Prairie View A&M and Northwestern State.

Graham clocked a time of 4:47.37 in her race to finish near the top of the pack along with Midwestern State's Bridget Reilly (4:43.89) and Tulsa's Olivia Gallagher (4:45.61). Nine runners finished behind Graham with the fourth-place time of 5:02.87 belonging to North Texas' Victoria Junious.

Just missing the medal stand with fifth-place showings were distance runner Ryan Cleary and pole vaulter Kyle Mann. Cleary was one of 26 competitors in the 800m run and he just beat out teammate Sterlen Paul for fifth place, 1:54.52 to 1:54.62, while Arkansas sophomore Carlton Orange cruised to victory behind a time of 1:48.28. Orange's time currently ranks 11th nationally among all NCAA DI runners.

Mann today reached a personal record height of 16-feet / 4.88 meters, and his performance was one of 13 lifetime bests recorded by the Wildcats' men's and women's teams.

Making their way into the top-10 today were the men's 4x100m and 4x400m relays as each finished in ninth place. The 400m relay team of Samuel Garcia, Ryan Linton, Avery Williams and Lee-Andrew Bloomfield recorded a season-best time of 41.19 that stands as the seventh-fastest mark currently in the Southland Conference.

The 1600m relay of Cleary, Riley Ellis, Drew Cummings and Paul completed its race in 3:23.55.

Additional top-10 showings belonged to Linton (48.33) and Kimone Green in the 400m (55.92), Kenzie Walker Mascorro in the pole vault (3.98m /13-00.75), and throwers Josh Hunter, Taylor Posey, Ryan Simmons, Reagan Mabery and Taylor Yantis Woods. Simmons had a PR of 50.07m / 164-03 to place sixth in the discus and was ninth in the hammer (47.34m / 155-04). Posey placed eighth in the shot put (12.96m / 42-06.25), while Mabery and Woods were seventh and eighth in the javelin. Mabery's best throw landed at 38.79m / 127-03, and Woods' at 37.48m / 122-11. Hunter was 10th in the shot put, reaching a top distance of 15.35m / 50-04.50.

Speaking of throws, Wildcat redshirts Kai Schmidt and Morgan Knight placed first and third, respectively, in the discus as unattached competitors. Schmidt recorded his winning distance of 57.47 / 188-06 on his second attempt to beat a 29-man field that featured opposition from Central Michigan, Arkansas, Northwestern State, Fresno State and North Texas.

Dylan Banagais of Central Michigan was the runner-up with a toss of 56.61m / 185-09, which is one of the 20 best throws by a collegian this outdoor season. Knight recorded distances on all six of his tries, with his best landing at 54.40 meters / 178-06.

The Wildcats are off from competition next weekend, and will be back at Baylor once again April 22 for the Michael Johnson Invitational.

ACU Results from the Baylor Invitational

Women's 200m Dash
25.) Chartia Hurt - 24.91(3.0w)
35.) Jessica King - 25.29 (4.8w)
50.) Irene Akwitti - 26.44 (3.2w)

Women's 400m Dash
9.) Kimone Green - 55.92
15.) Chartia Hurt - 56.48 (PR)
25.) Jessica King - 1:00.84

Men's 400m Dash
10.) Ryan Linton - 48.33 (PR)
11.) Lee-Andrew Bloomfield - 48.43 (PR)
18.) Blaze Brownlow - 48.88
25.) Avery Williams - 49.80

Women's 800m Run
26.) Brielle Collett - 2:39.02 (PR)

Men's 800m Run
5.) Ryan Cleary -1:54.52
6.) Sterlen Paul - 1:54.62
25.) Lincoln Jones - 2:03.79

Women's 1500m Run
3.) Carnley Graham - 4:47.37

Men's 1500m Run
3.) Reid Rivers - 3:58.23
14.) Drew Cummings - 4:13.34

Women's 3000m Run
17.) Sierra Bennett - 11:01.55 (PR)

Women's 100m Hurdles
17.) Taylor Yantis - 14.77 (2.6w)
23.) Brielle Collett - 18.64 (4.9w)

Men's 110m Hurdles
18.) Riley Ellis - 16.74 (2.8w) (PR)

Men's 400m Hurdles
16.) Lee-Andrew Bloomfield - 58.04
19.) Samuel Garcia - 59.22

Men's 4x100m Relay
9.) Abilene Christian - 41.19 (SB - 7th in Southland)
Samuel Garcia
Ryan Linton
Avery Williams
Lee-Andrew Bloomfield

Men's 4x400m Relay
9.) Abilene Christian - 3:23.55
Ryan Cleary
Riley Ellis
Drew Cummings
Sterlen Paul

Women's Pole Vault
7.) Kenzie Walker - 3.98m /13-00.75
12.) Mackenzie West - J3.63m / 11-10.75
15.) Sophie Morrow - 3.43m / 11-03.00

Men's Pole Vault
5.) Kyle Mann - 4.88m / 16-00.00 (PR)
15.) Jancen Power - J4.43m / 14-06.25 (PR)

Women's Long Jump
24.) Taylor Yantis - 5.20m (3.4w) / 17-00.75
26.) Irene Akwitti - 5.17m (5.3w) / 16-11.50 (PR)
29.) Brielle Collett - 4.39m (5.8w) / 14-05.00 (PR)

Men's Long Jump
20.) Riley Ellis - 6.36m (3.0w) / 20-10.50

Women's Shot Put
8.) Taylor Posey - 12.96m / 42-06.25

Men's Shot Put
10.) Joshua Hunter - 15.35m / 50-04.50

Men's Discus
6.) Ryan Simmons - 50.07m / 164-03 (PR)
12.) Joshua Hunter - 47.30m / 155-02
16.) McKennon Cecil - 44.20m / 145-00

Women's Hammer
12.) Taylor Posey - 44.84m / 147-01
13 .) Reagan Mabery - 44.30m / 145-04 (PR)

Men's Hammer
9.) Ryan Simmons - 47.34m / 155-04

Women's Javelin
7.) Reagan Mabery - 38.79m / 127-03
8.) Taylor Yantis - 37.48m / 122-11
14.) Natalie Jackson - 31.14m / 102-02 (PR)
16.) Brielle Collett - 28.73m / 94-03 (PR)

Men's Javelin
12.) McKennon Cecil - 51.82m / 170-00
14.) Ryan Simmons - 49.30m / 161-09 (PR)