HobbsDailyReport.com
CHARLOTTE – Lenoir-Rhyne University’s P.J. Lotharp was named the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Track Athlete of the Year after leading the Bears to a third place finish on Friday at the league championships.
LOTHARP
Lotharp, a sophomore from Indian Trail, won the 200-meter dash in 21.18 seconds and ran a leg on the Bears’ 400-meter relay team that won in a program-record 41.17 seconds at Johnson C. Smith’s Irwin Belk Track.
LRU’s men were third with 113 points, matching a third-place finish by the Bears’ women (127 ½ points).
Wingate’s women had 206 ½ points and Queens’ men had 240 ½ points to win the conference titles. It was the second straight crown for Wingate’s women and the fourth in a row for the Queens men.
Lotharp added a second-place finish in the men’s 100-meter dash (10.38) and was on LRU’s second-place 1,600-meter relay (school record 3:18.47). He ran the 400 with senior T.J. Smith, junior C.J. Williams and sophomore Kaynmon Maddox.
Also for LRU, sophomore Jaquay Mitchell set a new school mark in the men’s triple jump (48-4), finishing second and provisionally qualifying for nationals.
LRU Sophomore Anthony Brown captured league honors in the men’s decathlon with a school-record 5,192 points.
In the women’s completion, Bears freshman Saidah Hardwick took gold in the 400-meter dash (56.37) while senior Haylea Salamon won the discus (142-9) for the third time in her career.
LRU will next compete in the Aggie Last Chance Meet on May 13 at North Carolina A&T State University.
SAC OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
(Thursday, Friday at Irwin Belk Complex, Johnson C. Smith)
Women
1. Wingate 206.5
2. Queens 200
3. LENOIR-RHYNE 127.5
4. Coker 95
5. Carson-Newman 49
6. Lincoln Memorial 40
7. Anderson 36
8. Mars Hill 20
9. Tusculum 19
10. Catawba 12
11. Newberry 10
Men
1. Queens 240.5
2. Wingate 171
3. LENOIR-RHYNE 113
4. Carson-Newman 81
5. Anderson 56
6. Coker 38
7. Lincoln Memorial 36
8. Mars Hill 32
9. Catawba 16.5
10. Tusculum 16
11. Newberry 15
SAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Year – Hannah Wolkenhouer, Queens
SAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Year – Vanisha Wiltshire, Wingate
SAC Women’s Freshman of the Year – To’mara Carmichael, Queens
SAC Women’s Coach of the Year – Travis Lefluer, Wingate
SAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Year – Martin Nauer, Queens
SAC Men’s Freshman of the Year – Martin Nauer, Queens
SAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Year – P.J. Lotharp, LRU
SAC Men’s Coach of the Year – Jim Varencamp, Queens
- Reported by LRU Sports Information