ROCK HILL, S.C. and RALEIGH, N.C. – The Lincoln Memorial track and field programs split up between two meets and took on multiple division one teams, but still managed to break five school records, grab 15 top-10 finishes, and tally numerous personal best results.
 
Roberto Fajardo and Khotsofalo Pheko began the weekend on Thursday at the Raleigh Relays by running the men's 1500m. Fajardo set his first of two new school records in the 1500 by running a 3:53.97, while Pheko also broke the previous top time in school history by running a 3:54.34.
 
Fajardo then closed out the Railsplitters time at NC State by setting his second school record of the weekend, this time in the men's 800m. Fajardo finished 21st out of over 140 competitors by running a 1:52.36.
 
In Winthrop, the field athletes started out the meet for LMU. Lauren Smith was the first to compete, as she was in the women's hammer throw. Smith broke the previous school record in the event, by throwing it 38.73m. Nathan McBride was in the men's hammer throw, as he tossed it 25.80m.
 
Both Smith and McBride also competed in the discus as well, with this time being McBride's time to set a new record. He threw the discus 32.20m, and placed ninth in the event. Smith threw the discus 29.32m in the women's event.
 
Elizabeth Close and Sam Peters were the only other field athletes to compete for the Railsplitters, as Close was in the women's long jump and Peters made his first career appearance in the javelin throw. Close leapt a distance of 4.91m, and Peters threw the javelin 26.97m.
 
Lidija Djokic opened up the track events on Friday morning as she competed in the women's 400m hurdles. Djokic placed seventh in the event, crossing the line in a personal best time of 1:08.21.
 
Patrick Zuralski followed that by running in the men's 400m hurdles. He picked up PR himself, crossing the line in 11th with a time of 58.92.
 
Three Lady Railsplitters competed in the women's 200m race. Micah Sells paced the group by running a 26.73, while Elizabeth Close finishd in 27.02, while Ashlee Lewis ran a 27.29.
 
Two more runners set PRs, this time in the women's 5000m. Amelia Lorrey set a new personal best by over 10 seconds, as she took 6th place with a time of 18:13.45. Brooke Foster (19:01.62) and Elke Wijkmans (19:05.26) finished 11th and 12th. Gillian Strealy (21:09.87), Aubrey Bachtel (21:40.30) and Lillian Turley, who ran a personal best time of 21:46.59, all picked up top-20 finishes as well.
 
In the men's 5000m, all four runners set new personal bests. Mason Johns grabbed the first top-5 finish of the weekend for the Railsplitters, as he placed 5th in personal best time of 15:31.77. Caleb Rigney was 10th with a PR time of 15:47.17, while Benjamin Trimm ran a 16:11.46 and Isaac Korir crossed in 16:17.30, both of which were new PRs.
 
Saturday morning started out with the women's 100m hurdles, another school record, and three more top-25 finishes. Micah Sells put her name atop the LMU record books by running a 15.30, and placed ninth in the event. Elizabeth Close took 12th with a 16.26, while Mataylin Goins made her season debut on the track, running a 17.21 to place 15th.
 
Grace Rose (5:05.77) and Kiley Holmes (5:39.51) both ran the women's 1500m.
 
Mason Johns picked up another top-five finish, this time in the men's 1500m, as he finished fifth with a time of 4:07.58. Spencer Baldwin was right behind him, placing sixth, crossing in 4:08.44. Marig Engelbrecht was 15th in the race, crossing in 4:18.95.
 
Destiny Gibbs recorded the first podium finish of the weekend, as she was second in the women's 400m, running a personal best time of 58.98. Grace Mathis was close behind, crossing in 1:00.54 to tally a seventh-place finish.
 
Patrick Zuralski ran the men's 400m, nabbing 11th place, crossing in 53.60.
 
Ashlee Lewis picked up her first PR of the meet, as she ran a 13.14 in the women's 100m.
 
Four women competed in the 800m, and all four finished the race with a new personal best time. Katilee Croft led the group with a sixth-place finish at 2:21.22. Harper Russell was 12th in a time of 2:26.26. Kirsten Keith (2:39.56) and Megyn Spicer (2:45.67) also grabbed new PRs.
 
The Railsplitter men closed out their day in the 800m. Spencer Baldwin paced the group with a fourth-place finish in a time of 2:01.51. Marig Engelbrecht was 12th in 2:06.24, while Jacey Grabeel ran a 2:29.42.
 
The day closed out with the women's 4x400m relay race, as LMU had two teams competing. The group of Lidija Djokic, Grace Mathis, Micah Sells, and Destiny Gibbs grabbed a podium spot by finishing second in 4:07.39. The second group came in fourth, as the quartet of Elizabeth Close, Mataylin Goins, Ashlee Lewis, and Harper Russell ran a 4:10.12.
 
UP NEXT
The LMU track and field team take a week off from competition, before they return to the track at the Flames Invitational and the Pepsi UC Invitational and Distance Carnival from Friday, April 9th through April 10th.
 
How to Follow
Stay tuned to LMURailsplitters.com, as well as LMU's social media platforms - @LMURailsplitter on Twitter, @LMURailsplitters on Facebook and @lmurailsplitters on Instagram, for complete coverage of Railsplitter and Lady Railsplitter track and field throughout the 2021-22 season.