Sailor-Tynes Wins 1500M Title at SoCon Outdoor Track & Field Championships; Davidson Men Fourth

• Complete Results

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Freshman Grayam Sailor-Tynes won the 1500-meter run out of the first heat to lead several strong performances Saturday for the Davidson men's track and field team, which earned a fourth-place finish with 70 points at the 2011 Southern Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.

Sailor-Tynes won the first heat in three minutes, 59.44 seconds, but ended up being the lone competitor under the four-minute mark. Teammate and classmate Andrew Lantz actually won the second heat, but the group ran too slow of a pace, giving Sailor-Tynes the title. Lantz placed fourth in 4:00.74, and also led Davidson in the 800-meter run, placing ninth in 1:55.30.

“You can't take anything for granted,” said Davidson head coach Gary Andrew. "But we're very proud Grayam's performance."

Sailor-Tynes earned the Wildcats' 10th individual title at the SoCon outdoor championships since 1990, and the third in the 1500m. Dan Gibson and Douglas Noreen won the event in 2002 and 2007, respectively.

Three scored for Davidson in the 5000-meter run, led by senior Charlie Schmitt's fourth-place finish in 15:02.12. Sophomore Demetrios Pagonis and junior Ryan Hopkins took seventh (15:10.72) and eighth (15:20.46), respectively.

The 'Cats also scored in the sprints, as senior JinHan Song placed fifth in the 400-meter dash in 49.19, and junior Taylor Martin placed sixth in the 400-meter hurdles in 55.63 seconds.

Davidson ran the 4x100-meter relay with sophomore Eduardo Vaca, Song, junior Lee Dorsey and senior Bryce Jones earning a fifth-place finish in 43.58 seconds. The 'Cats rounded out the day with a fourth-place finish in the 4x400m in 3:22.36, run Dorsey, Vaca, Song and Martin.

“It was an outstanding performance for our team this weekend with several top finishes and school top-10 times,” said Andrew. “It is a great accomplishment for them to earn a fourth-place finish against the competition here. I'm very proud of them.”

Appalachian State won the team title with 256 points, and was followed by Western Carolina (218.5) and Samford (138.5) in the top three. Davidson was fourth with 70 points, while The Citadel rounded-out the top five with 48 points.

Hopkins (10,000m) and freshman Stewart Dalton (long jump) both scored runner-up finishes to lead Davidson on the first day of competition Friday.

Chattanooga's Chris Berry edged Hopkins in the 10,000-meter run by less than a half-second in a remarkably close race. Berry crossed the line in 30 minutes 42.38 seconds, while Hopkins followed in 30:42.77. The runner-up finish in the 10K at the SoCon Championships was Hopkins' second consecutive.

Pagonis also scored in the event, placing sixth in a personal-best 30:58.43. Both Hopkins' and Pagonis' times rank among the top-10 best in Davidson history.

Dalton reached the podium in his first outdoor SoCon meet, posting a career-best leap of 22-5 ¼ (6.84m). Lawren Willard from Western Carolina took first place with a leap of 23-5 1/2 (7.15m).

Two scored for Davidson in the 3000-meter steeplechase as Ian Tupper smashed the Davidson school record with a time of 9:14.39 to place fourth. Sophomore Vincent Weir also broke the old Wildcat record of 9:26.5 to place eighth in 9:22.38. Sailor-Tynes was ninth in 9:26.72, which qualified him for the USA Junior Nationals in the event.

Men's Team Results – Final
1. Appalachian State - 256 points
2. Western Carolina - 218.5
3. Samford - 138.5
4. Davidson - 70
5. The Citadel - 48
6. Chattanooga - 42
7. Furman - 24
8. Wofford - 17
9. UNCG - 1

Men's Individual Awards
Most Outstanding Athlete
Cordell Livingston – Western Carolina

Most Outstanding Track Performer
Dennis Moore – Appalachian State

Most Outstanding Field Performer
Malcolm Styers – Appalachian State

Freshman of the Year
Aaron Tribble – Western Carolina

Coach of the Year
Rod Tiffin – Samford

Men's All-Freshman Team
Decathlon
Sam Lusty – Western Carolina

Shot Put
Jonathan Newton – Western Carolina
Dylan Gidado – The Citadel
Daniel Alexis – Western Carolina

Discus
Daniel Alexis – Western Carolina
Dylan Gigado – The Citadel
Jonathan Newton – Western Carolina

Triple Jump
Jamal Tiller – Appalachian State
Bob McNeil – Western Carolina
Justin Strickland – Western Carolina

110m Hurdles
Sam Lusty – Western Carolina
Chris Sievert – The Citadel

400m Hurdles
Sam Lusty – Western Carolina
Chris Sievert – The Citadel

100m Dash
Justin Emerson – Samford
Ron Duncan – Western Carolina
Stephon Shelton – Wofford

200m Dash
Aaron Tribble – Western Carolina
Ron Duncan – Western Carolina
Sidney Rhodes – Western Carolina

400m Dash
Aaron Tribble – Western Carolina
Sidney Rhodes – Western Carolina
Ammar Phillips – Western Carolina

800m Run
Henry Stevens-Carty – Samford
Andrew Lantz – Davidson
James Perez – Furman

1,500m Run
Grayam Sailor-Tynes – Davidson
James Perez – Furman
Andrew Lantz – Davidson

5,000m Run
Layton Dorsett – Samford
Chase Fisher – Western Carolina
Kenny Hinman – UNCG

3,000m Steeplechase
Chase Fisher – Western Carolina
Grayam Sailor-Tynes – Davidson
James Graham – Samford

Javelin
Clay Allen – The Citadel
Jordan Orr – Western Carolina
Andrew McCurry – Wofford

Pole Vault
Owen Wagoner – Samford
Matt Stenger – Western Carolina

Long Jump
Stewart Dalton – Davidson
Mike McCrimon – Wofford
Bob McNeil – Western Carolina

High Jump
Tyler Kemp – Samford
Jordan Orr – Western Carolina
Joshua Hogg – Appalachian State