SALEM, Va. (Jan. 17) – On the opening day of competition in Virginia, the University of Mount Olive men's and women's track & field program qualified multiple athletes for the finals and improved conference qualifying standards on Friday at the Finn Pincus Invite.

In the women's 60-meter dash, senior Lasira Nicholson and freshman Sanyiah Shields improved their marks in the event while advancing to the finals on Saturday. Nicholson posted a time of 7.80 seconds to place fourth in the semifinals while Shields qualified after crossing the line in 7.82 seconds. Additionally, junior Channie Jefferson (7.99) and senior Jamesha Howell (8.11) competed in the semifinals and posted season-best times.

Senior Tylyia Triggs will compete in the finals of the 60-meter hurdles on Saturday after tying her season-best mark of 9.43 seconds in the prelims.

In the high jump, junior Kavon Poindexter established a league-qualifying mark after clearing 1.83 meters. Senior Karla Hormazabal earned an eighth-place finish while competing in Virginia with a mark of 1.50 meters.

Senior Riley Willcox and freshman Titus Tanui both claimed top three finishes in the 600 meters. Willcox crossed the line in 1:26.28 to finish as the runner-up, while Tanui took third place with a time of 1:26.30.

Junior Jamavie Glover will compete in the finals of the men's 60-meter dash on Saturday after placing seventh in the semifinals with a time of 6.89 seconds, which ranks third all-time at UMO. Freshman Jacoby Pevia improved his conference standard in the event with a time of 6.95 seconds, the sixth-best time in program history. Additionally, freshman Leland Smith (7.01) and junior Jason Hart (7.12) advanced to the semifinals after qualifying in the prelims. 

UMO continues competition at the Finn Pincus Invite tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 18, with the first event beginning at 10 a.m.