HARROGATE, TENN. – The postseason has arrived for LMU track and field. On Thursday and Friday, the teams will be competing at the SAC outdoor championship at Anderson University in South Carolina. Director of track and field Rochelle Black said it best, "The culmination of months of commitment and hard work begins this weekend."
 
Lady Railsplitters Competing

• In total, 19 Lady Railsplitters will be competing in 12 different events at the end of this week.
• Distance Runners: Amelia Lorrey, Brooke Foster, Elke Wijkmans, Gillian Strealy, Lillian Turley, Kirsten Keith, Katilee Croft, Kiley Holmes, Grace Rose, Megyn Spicer, and Harper Russell
• Sprinters/Hurdlers: Destiny Gibbs, Grace Mathis, Elizabeth Close, Micah Sells, Lidija Djokic, Mataylin Goins, and Ashlee Lewis
• Field Athletes: Lauren Smith
• Multi: Elizabeth Close

 
Women Ranked in top-15 of Event

• 11 women come into the meet ranked in the top-15 of their event based on previous performances from the year
• Field: Lauren Smith (discus and hammer throw)
• Multi: Elizabeth Close (heptathlon)
• Hurdles: Elizabeth Close (100m hurdles), Micah Sells (100m hurdles), and Lidija Djokic (400m hurdles)
• Distance: Amelia Lorrey (10000m and 5000m) and Brooke Foster (5000m)
• Mid-distance: Brooke Foster (1500m), Elke Wijkmans (1500m), Katilee Croft (1500m and 800m), and Harper Russell (800m)
• Sprints: Grace Mathis (400m) and Destiny Gibbs (400m)

 
Railsplitter Men Competing

• 14 men will be competing in the meet over the two days.
• Distance: Roberto Fajardo, Jacey Grabeel, Spencer Baldwin, Mason Johns, Marig Engelbrecht, Khotsofalo Pheko, Caleb Rigney Benjamin Trimm, and Isaac Korir
• Sprinters/Hurdlers: Sam Peters Chris Buford, Eric Biddinger, and Patrick Zuralski
• Field Athletes: Nathan McBride

 
Men Ranked in the top-15 of Event

• Seven men are ranked inside the top-15 in their events after this outdoor season
• Hurdles: Patrick Zuralski (400m hurdles)
• Distance: Khotsofalo Pheko (5000m)
• Mid-distance: Mason Johns (1500m), Khotsofalo Pheko (1500m), Caleb Rigney (1500m), Roberto Fajardo (800m), and Spencer Baldwin (800m)
• Sprints: Sam Peters (400m)

 
Riding The Momentum

• The Railsplitters come into the meet with great momentum from the end of the season. In their last meet, they achieved 20 new personal bests, and set five new school records. On top of that, earlier this season when they competed at Anderson's regular season meet, LMU tallied 28 personal bests and three school records.

 
Reigning All-Conference Athletes

• Lincoln Memorial will have one individual and one relay team competing this week who have recorded all-conference honors in the past.
• Roberto Fajardo is the reigning bronze medalist in the previous SAC outdoor championships as well as the silver medal winner year's indoor championship.
• The women's 4x400m relay team of Destiny Gibbs, Micah Sells, Lidija Djokic, and Grace Mathis took home silver at the indoor championships in February.

 
Competition

• As usual, the South Atlantic Conference meet is stacked with teams ranked nationally and regionally.
• On the men's side, Queens is the 12^th ranked team nationally, and the top team in the region. Carson-Newman is the other nationally ranked team, coming in at 18^th nationally and fifth in the southeast region. Elsewhere in the region, Wingate is second, LR third, Limestone sixth, Catawba ninth, and Tusculum 10^th.
• For the women, Queens again is the top team, ranking 11^th nationally and tops in the region. LR is second in the region, while Wingate is fourth and host Anderson is seventh.

 
 
UP NEXT
The LMU track and field competes next at the SAC Outdoor Championships on May 5-6 at Anderson University. 
 
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.