LEXINGTON, Va. – The VMI 2019 indoor track and field season got underway on a strong note as the Keydets hosted the second annual Keydet Invitational Friday at the Corps Physical Training Facility in Lexington.
Freshman Jordin Poindexter missed an IC4A qualifying time in the 60m by just .01 in his first collegiate race as he finished 11th overall in the semifinals with a time of 7.03 seconds.
“I am pleased with today's results, but as I told the team this is the starting point as we have only had a couple of practices since returning from break,” said VMI head coach Darrin Webb. “Now we have to continue to work and look forward to coming out tomorrow and continuing to stack good days on top of one another.
“What stood out to me, wasn't the times or marks, it was their effort and desire to compete.”
The women's 60m event was a plus for VMI as three Keydets (Ingrid Joseph, Ariana Ruffin and Eliza Brooks) finished under 7.99 for the first race and Autumn Parson finished under 8.10
In the women's 500m freshman Ahliyah Williams got off to a good start to her VMI career with an 18th-place finish of 1:20.83. She will compete in the 400m Saturday.
The weight throw was also a positive for the Keydets as Sydney Hays of the women's team threw a distance of 14.29 meters (46'10”) for 14th place in the event. Daniel Usher came in 17th for the event on the men's side with a distance of 13.95 meters, or 45'9”. The marks equaled or surpassed their previous personal bests for the event.
In the women's pole vault VMI's McKenna Dunn shrugged off injury and performed well with a 15th-place height of 3.15 meters, or 10'4.”
The Keydet Invitational resumes Saturday with a full slate of events starting with the men's heptathlon at 8 a.m. All other events will finish following the national anthem at 10 a.m.
