COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Augusta University men's track and field team posted strong performances at the John-Hunter James Classic hosted by Columbia International University on March 7-8.

Track Events

Freshman Seth Eye led Augusta with a first-place finish in the 800-meter run, clocking a time of 1:54.29. Junior Noah Shepherd secured a sixth-place finish in the same event with a time of 1:59.48, while freshman David Ajuzie followed closely behind in ninth place (2:01.19).

In the 5,000 meters, Augusta had a strong showing with six runners finishing in the top 10. Senior Avery Jaynes took first place with a time of 14:32.25, followed by senior Brandon Martin (14:49.80, 3rd), freshman Ani Tesfaye (14:51.38, 4th), and junior Nasrudin Mohamed (14:54.16, 5th).

Junior Roberto Barrera finished second overall in the 400 meters with a time of 49.82.

The 4x400-meter relay team of Charlie Roberts, Devin Barolette, Amir Dayal, and Roberto Barrera captured first place with a time of 3:20.77. Augusta's "B" relay team featuring Seth Eye, Noah Shepherd, Matthew Merisme, and David Ajuzie also placed well, finishing third (3:25.66).

Field Events

In the high jump, sophomore Mitchell Jean-Baptiste cleared 2.05 meters (6' 8.75") to win the event, hitting the NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark for the national championships. Freshman Jalen Belton recorded a third-place finish (1.90m, 6' 2.75"), while sophomore David Batts added a fourth-place finish (1.80m, 5' 10.75").

Augusta also saw a strong performance in the 400-meter hurdles, with Sawyer Whatley finishing third (59.32).

Up Next

Augusta will return to action March 21-22 at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga

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