Rochester, N.Y. – The University of Lynchburg men’s indoor track & field team placed fourth at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships with 29 points to secure a podium finish for the first time in school history!
With only six men competing, each Hornet secured an All-American finish inside the top eight despite not garnering any individual titles. The historic result follows last year’s top-ten result at the indoor championships in Virginia Beach where the Lynchburg men placed seventh with 19 points.
Following the Hornets’ second-place finish in the distance medley relay on Friday evening, the Lynchburg jumpers claimed All-American honors to begin day two.
After falling outside the top ten in her first two attempts, Kacey Kelly qualified for finals in her final leap in the women’s triple jump prelims with a monstrous 12.34m mark. The junior set a personal best by 0.22m following a record-shattering performance at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championships two weeks before Rochester. Her new mark the ODAC record, and she finished third in the field.
To continue the success on the men’s side, Jamarcus Brown entered the men’s high jump on the national stage for just the second meet of his collegiate career. Brown entered the competition by clearing a 6′ 4¾” and outlasted opponents to reach the top eight. Beginning with the field of 20, the competition dwindled as Brown cleared 6′ 9¾” for the second-best performance in program history, and he claimed sixth in the nation.
Fellow freshman Tristan Wright solidified an All-American finish by qualifying for the 60m dash finals in Friday’s prelims. Of the eight competitors, Wright finished fifth and clocked 6.74 to establish a new conference record and improve his school record for the fifth time this season. The result added four points to the tally for the men’s team, which snuck inside the top ten with six events to go.
Tor Hotung-Davidsen returned for the men’s 800m final following two races on Friday. The grad student finished first in the 800m prelims on Friday and ran the 800m leg of the DMR. Tucking closely into second for the entirety of the race, he raced closely behind Wisconsin La-Crosse’s Cael Schoemann and battled to the line, finishing second by .29 seconds. Hotung-Davidsen also placed second at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in his junior season.
As the final Hornet to compete, Chasen Hunt needed to gain several points in the team standings to guarantee a top-four finish. The junior clocked 8:11.18 in the men’s 3,000m run to finish third in the event, racing many opponents who had not competed in other races. Hunt gained five positions and almost seven seconds in Friday night’s DMR with a 4:04.30 mile leg before racing the 3k.
With Hunt’s performance, Lynchburg guaranteed its top-four finish heading into the final event. Lynchburg tallied six first-team All-American performances between the men’s and women’s squads.
Lynchburg returns to action around the oval next weekend as the teams open the outdoor track & field campaign at Washington & Lee University.
For full results from Rochester, click here.
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