Gainesville, Fla. –
Tymia Willis made program history to lead Lander track and field at the Peach Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, winning two conference titles on Monday at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center.
Willis captured the 200-meter title in a school-record time of 25.00 before adding another gold in the 400 meters with a time of 56.36. Her 400-meter mark not only set a school record, but also established a new overall Peach Belt Conference record and PBC Championship meet record. She becomes the first women's indoor conference champion in program history and the first Lander woman to win multiple PBC indoor titles.
Lander's women finished fifth overall, while the men placed sixth in the team standings. Embry-Riddle swept both team championships for the third consecutive year.
Kalyna McLaren added a runner-up finish in the 60 meters, breaking the school record with a time of 7.81.
Journey Edwards also earned a second-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles, setting a school record with a time of 9.27.
Carly Fuel secured a second-place finish in the 5,000 meters with a school-record time of 17:32.12.
On the men's side,
Michael Balkman finished second in both the 200 meters (21.48) and 400 meters (47.88), setting school records in each event.
Vernon Watson broke the school record in the 60 meters with a time of 6.97.
In distance events,
Jon Cummings set a school record in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:48.71, while
Noah Chevalier followed with a personal-best time of 8:49.16. Karson Norman posted the second-fastest 400-meter time in program history at 48.67.
The women's distance medley relay team of
Kayla Barnhardt,
Journey Edwards,
Madeline Beal and
Amara Hille also set a school record with a time of 13:11.23, while
Dylan Gilder broke the school record in the shot put with a mark of 13.04 meters.
The Bearcats now shift their focus to the outdoor season which begins on March 13th at the GottaRun Invitational hosted by Southern Wesleyan University.
