WILMINGTON, North Carolina – The UNCW men’s and women’s track and field teams combined for 16 first-place finishes to kick off the outdoor season in style with Saturday’s UNCW Invitational at the Harold Greene Track & Field Complex.
“What a special team this is,” said Jeff Klaves, UNCW’s third-year head coach. “They are fun to coach and this snapshot shows we’re doing all the right things to keep pushing the mark. Our mission statement this year has been ‘Be The One’ and today there were many. That’s a great sign.”
Each team registered eight first-place finishes on the day and 13 different individuals picked up a gold medal in the first of back-to-back meets for the Seahawks.
Junior Josh Parks of Kannapolis, N.C., led the way for the Seahawks with three golds. He won the 100 Meters, 200 Meters and 110 Hurdles. Freshman Dalton Zimmerman of Thomasville, N.C., claimed first in the 400 Meters and ran a leg on the winning 4×400 Relay unit with Ryan Kobziak, Nikolis Anderson and Cooper Wright.
On the women’s side, Alexa Woltjen of Mount Laurel, N.J., and Gabby Ryan of Durham, N.C., collected a pair of first place finishes. Woltjen raced to first in the 800 Meters and 1,500 Meters, while Ryan captured the 400 Hurdles and Long Jump.
Nine men’s teams and nine women’s teams competed in the event. In addition to UNCW, the men’s teams included Barton, Methodist, Methodist, Mount Olive, N.C. Wesleyan, Pfeiffer, UNC Pembroke and William Peace. The women’s teams entered were UNCW, Barton, Meredith, Methodist, Mount Olive, N.C. Wesleyan, Pfeiffer, UNC Pembroke and William Peace.
The Seahawks return to their home oval next Saturday, Mar. 12, for the Seahawk Invitational.
UNCW Invitational Results | March 5, 2022
| Men’s 110 Meter Hurdles | ||
| 1. | Josh Parks | 14.39 |
| 2. | JT Allen | 14.92 |
| 3. | Khairi Williams | 15.24 |
| 5. | Ryan Hunt | 16.06 |
| Men’s 400 Meter Hurdles | ||
| 2. | Khairi Williams | 58.47 |
| 3. | JT Allen | 58.67 |
