On Saturday, the men's and women's track & field teams traveled to Marietta College to compete in the first meet of the year 2022. The day was full of some outstanding performances and one athlete almost qualified for the National Championships but missed out by less than half an inch. 

The day started off with Alycia Rivera competing in the High Jump. She finished the day by winning the event, setting a new school record, a personal best, and missing the qualifying mark by half an inch. She won the meet with a height of 1.65 meters (5'4.1") and she was allowed to set the height that she wanted to attempt.  She decided to attempt the Qualifying Height for the NCAA National Championships, which is 1.67 meters (5"4.7").  She had 3 attempts at the height and her 2^nd attempt was her best, as her hips cleared the bar and she only barely touched it with her calf as she was clearing the bar.  She then had the confidence that she could clear the height and, on her 3rd, attempt she touched the bar with her hamstring.   So close!  She left the event happy with her performance and filled with confidence that she can clear this height in the upcoming track meets. 

The next events for the women were the 55-meter hurdles with two Salem ladies competing, Keara Wilson and Alycia Rivera.  Each ran in prelims and ran fast enough to run in the finals.  Having two Salem runners in the finals was exciting to see, as this is a sign that the ladies have been working hard on their craft.  Keara Wilson finished in 4^th place with a time of 9.60 and Alycia Rivera was a close 6^th place with a time of 9.80. Together they scored 8 points in this event, adding the 10 points that Alycia Rivera scored in the High Jump, that brought the team total to 18 points, which placed the women in 10^th place out of 13 scoring teams.   

Coach Leonard commented "I am very proud of what the young ladies have accomplished today, and Alycia was so close to qualifying.  She continues to show me that she is a breakout star of the Salem University track & field team."   

On the men's side, Delmar Jeter competed in the Long and Triple Jump.  In the long Jump he failed to get a mark due to stepping over the line, "which happens to every jumper in their career" stated Coach Leonard.  In the Triple Jump Delmar Jeter recorded a jump of 12'05' meters (39'6.5' feet) which placed him in 10^th overall.  On the running side, the standout freshman, Prince Mozurunyen ran 2 races: the 300 and 400 meters.  In the 300 he finished 4^th overall with a time of 38.93 and scored 5 team points.  In the 400-meter race he finished 7^th overall with a time of 56.84 and scored 2 team points.  Adding Prince's points together, the Salem men scored a total of 7 point for the meet.   

"I am proud of what we did today. We performed well and we identified areas of improvement. This is the beginning if a successful season with some great student athletes. We have some great individuals that represent Salem University." Coach Leonard stated. 

The next meet will be at Liberty University on February 5^th.