Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Longwood’s track team wrapped up its regular season over the weekend and saw a decades-old record fall in the process, thanks to a Farmville runner. The team split up, with some competing at the Virginia Challenge and others taking part in the WildCat Challenge in Lynchburg. 

Saad Khan was among those who competed in Lynchburg. The Farmville resident and Longwood senior ran in the 3,000-meter men’s steeplechase and broke a school record that’s stood for decades with his time of 9:52:55, good enough to win the race as well. In case you’re wondering what the steeplechase is, it’s an obstacle race that originated in horse racing. This event is known for its unique combination of running and jumping over barriers and water jumps. The foremost version of the event is the 3000 meters steeplechase, which includes seven water jumps and 28 barriers over the course of the race. That’s what Khan conquered en route to setting the new record. 

Also at the Wildcat, both Cullen Carter and Ayden Stewart lowered the program’s top 200m time. Carter finished second with a 22.02, and Stewart clocked a 22.14, with both times beating the program record set earlier this year by Stewart. Stewart also won the 400m.

 Liliana Arevalo became the first Lancer to break 26 seconds on the women’s side with a 25.99, and she also broke her own record in the 400m with a program-best 57.60. She finished third in the 200 and second in the 400m. She also had a personal best in the 100m with a 12.98.

Nyomi Rhodes added a program best 1:08.18 to win the 400m hurdles that was also her fastest time at the collegiate level, and she had a personal best of 12.90 in the 100m.

Kris Mickens won the men’s long jump, in his second-ever track meet to boot, with a best jump of 6.50m, and Matthew Fitzner was second with a 6.48m effort.

“This was a great weekend to wrap up our second regular season,” said Longwood Head Track Coach Brooke Craig. “The program bought into our mission of raising the standard and are ready to prove that in a few weeks at the Big South Championship.”

Beyond Farmville, at the Virginia Challenge

Meanwhile, at the Virginia Challenge, Sophie Farley, Chris Smith and Joshua Martin all broke some program records. Farley was excellent in both the 800m and 5,000m races. In the 800, Farley knocked another two seconds off of her personal best, which is also the program record, and she finished 12th in the field with a 2:11.18.

Meanwhile, she finished fifth in the women’s 5,000m with a 16:48.07, with her time crushing the program record, which was also her personal best, by 22 seconds

Smith broke his own program record and personal best in the men’s 800m with a 1:54.15.