Nashville, TN -- No school record was safe on Saturday when Lincoln Memorial men's and women's track & field opened its indoor campaign with a deep slate of individual performances across sprints, mid-distance, jumps, and throws. The meet was marked by four new school records, including standout marks from Vincent Quilici, Joel Borkey, Callie Wetzel, and a dominant, record-shattering performance by thrower Ashley Parrish. The meet also featured several top-10 finishes and numerous strong freshman debuts.

Junior Vincent Quilici opened his season in record-setting fashion. His 300m performance of 35.23 earned him 19th place and established a new school record in the event. Earlier in the day, he placed 32nd in the 60m with a time of 7.17, with freshmen Justus Long (34th, 7.32) and Trevor Beam (35th, 7.36) close behind. Nile McLymont finished 34th in 37.02, followed by Orion Wright (37th, 37.24), Long (38th, 37.51), and Beam (41st, 38.49).

In the 600 meters, junior Joel Borkey delivered one of the meet's most impressive moments, placing 5th in 1:22.43 and setting a new school record. Right behind him, junior Guillaume Bogaert placed 6th in 1:22.80, giving the team two top-six finishes. Freshman Caleb Chittum added an 11th-place run of 1:26.17.

Freshman Jackson Clonce led the men's throws group with two strong marks, placing 16th in the weight throw at 13.86m (45.47 ft) and 15th in the shot put at 12.42m (40.76 ft).
Senior Avery Hatfield placed 18th in the weight throw at 12.32m (40.39 ft) and 20th in the shot put at 10.99m (36.04 ft). Sophomore Asher Hatfield added 20th in the weight throw at 10.61m (34.81 ft) and 25th in the shot put at 8.50m (27.89 ft).

Freshman Callie Wetzel turned in a standout day, setting a new school record in the 600 meters with her 1:38.53 performance, good for 14th place. She also posted a strong 9.34 in the 60m hurdles to finish 23rd. Freshman Jersey Nelke added a 37th-place finish in the 60m (8.49) and placed 31st in the 60m hurdles (9.86).

Freshman Reilly Vierdag had a productive multi-event outing, finishing 15th in the high jump at 1.52m (4.99 ft) and 16th in the triple jump at 10.54m (34.58 ft). Junior Emily McPherson cleared 1.42m (4.66 ft) for 17th in the high jump, while freshman Jewel Gamedah added 32nd in the long jump at 3.69m (12.11 ft).

The women's throws crew turned in one of the strongest overall group performances of the meet, headlined by junior Ashley Parrish, who smashed a school record with her 15.68m (51.47 ft) throw in the weight throw, placing 5th overall. Parrish also finished 11th in the shot put at 11.23m (36.84 ft), completing a dominant outing.

The Railsplitters produced two additional top-20 finishes in the weight throw:
Senior Kylee Alvis – 13.34m (43.75 ft), 16th
Junior Cate Turner – 13.23m (43.40 ft), 18th

Freshmen Madeline Dalton (24th, 10.10m / 33.14 ft) and Olivia Edenfield (25th, 9.11m / 29.89 ft) added depth in their collegiate debuts.

In the shot put, Alvis placed 15th at 10.81m (35.47 ft), Edenfield finished 21st at 9.38m (30.77 ft), and Dalton added 26th at 7.37m (24.18 ft).

With four school records falling on the day, Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Rochelle Black was pleased with the result and is ready to get back to work immediately. "We had some really good performances to start the season," he said. I think we saw a lot of nervous jitters, which is typically expected in December meets. We'll refocus and get back to work after exams."