Kent State University
Tom Jones Memorial
Yeargin Adds 400m Record Saturday at Tom Jones Memorial
4/27/2019 7:37:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
Junior Nicole Yeargin concluded an outstanding weekend on the track by setting the Kent State outdoor record in the 400-meter dash on Saturday at the University of Florida's Tom Jones Memorial, less than 24 hours after tying her own record in the 200-meter dash.
The Golden Flashes also had athletes competing at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Classic. Redshirt junior TJ Lawson (long jump) and sophomore Alyssa Matheny (high jump) claimed individual victories to highlight a total of eight top-4 finishes and five PRs that rank in the top-10 in program history.
Tom Jones Memorial
Nicole Yeargin ran a 53.51 in the women's 400m to break the previous school record set by Shanequa Williams in 2013 (53.53). Yeargin finished seventh among collegians and 14th overall in a loaded field of sprinters that included 2016 Olympic gold medalist Shaunae Miller-Uibo. The Bowie, Maryland native has blossomed during her second year at Kent State and now owns three program records.
Alyssa Matheny cleared the bar on each of her first three attempts to win the women's high jump with a top mark of 5'-8.75". Talia Falco was able to clear 5'-8.75" on her third attempt to finish third. Falco set a personal-best for the second straight week and moved into a tie for sixth on the Golden Flashes' all-time list.
Craig Stevens, Jr. and Anthony Milliner rounded out Kent State's representation in the men's triple jump. Stevens, Jr. placed second among collegiate competitors and sixth overall with a top jump of 52'-0". Milliner recorded a season-best 49'-2.5" to finish fourth among collegians and 10th overall.
Jesse Owens Classic
TJ Lawson soared 24'-9" to win the men's long jump by more than a foot. Lawson's mark is tied for the eighth-best in the Kent State outdoor record book.
Gabby Bailey (women's discus throw championship) and Christian Champen (men's pole vault) earned runner-up finishes. Bailey's throw of 173'-0" ranks eighth in school history, and she added a fourth-place finish in the women's shot put (48'-4"). Champen's height of 17'-3" is tied for the second-highest clearance all-time. The junior has cleared at least 16'-11" in all five outdoor meets this season and also finished fifth in the men's long jump (23'-0").
Ryan Demaline (men's shot put) and DJ Ohlson (men's high jump) both claimed fourth-place finishes. Demaline had a personal-best heave of 55'-7", while Ohlson cleared a season-best height of 6'-6.75".
Grace Tennant had a top throw of 49'-10" to place eighth in the women's shot put championship.
Jacob Mally and Brandon Harris led the way on the track. Mally ran a 14.55 to take seventh in the men's 110-meter hurdles, just missing his PR by 0.01 seconds. Harris finished eighth in the men's 100-meter dash with a time of 10.72.
Nicole Fleming set a new PR by finishing the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 11:09.41.
Next Up For Kent State
The Golden Flashes will conclude the regular season next weekend with the Campbell/Wright Invitational on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4.
Players Mentioned
