Wheeling, W. Va. – The Marty Goldberg Gator Invitational on Thursday saw Wheeling Outdoor Track & Field out up some big numbers as they hit a combined six NCAA Provo marks and had several top three finishers on both sides. The Men's and Women's teams will have one more opportunity to prove themselves worthy of the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships when they head to the Lee Flames Last Chance Invitational on Saturday at 9 AM. It will be the team's last chance to lower their times and hit the NCAA Provo Mark before the National Championship qualifiers are announced next week.
The Marty Goldberg Gator Invitational saw the Cardinals put their talents on display, with six Provo Marks being hit and four first place finishes on the day. The track athletes once again took center stage, as the sprinters and hurdlers continued what has been a strong outdoor season. The track athletes accounted for four of the five team wins on the weekend, with the sprinters and the hurdlers taking center stage. They ran in the 100, 200, 100 Hurdles, 110 Hurdles, 400 Hurdles, and 5000 Meter on the weekend, and the two teams combined to hit six NCAA Provo Marks on the day. The field events weren't as active, with three guys competing and one woman, but the Cardinals picked up top five finishes in four of their five events.
On the men's side, the biggest performance of the day came from junior sprinter Jabez Reeves, who picked up wins in both the 100-Meter and 200-Meter dash. His fastest of the two runs came in the 200-Meter Dash, where he picked up a win with a time of 21.26 seconds. That time was good enough for the second fastest mark in program history as he beat out former Cardinal Mike Little, who ran a 21.41 back during the 2010 season. Along with Reeves strong showing, Andrew Taylor continued his push towards the NCAA National Championships when he competed in the High Jump. Taylor cleared the 2.10 meter mark for the third time this season, reaching a height of 2.12 meters and falling just .03 meters shy of his PR for the event. The men's team combined to hit six different NCAA Provo marks in the event and look to once again be well represented on the national stage.
While the women did not have anyone hit an NCAA Provo Mark on the day, it was still a strong showing for the team as they head into their final Last Chance Invitational. Leading the way in the hurdles was junior Isha Sesay, who picked up the team's lone win in the 100-Meter Hurdles. She ran a time of 14.72 in the event and beat out the rest of the field by .49 seconds while falling just .48 seconds shy of the NCAA Provo mark. Kimora Pooler followed her up in the field events as she continued her strong showing in the Women's Shot Put this season. She threw a distance of 12.40 meters and took second place for her highest finish of the day.
The Lee Flames Invitational will be the final Last Chance meet for the Cardinals with the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships sitting just two weeks away. To be considered, an athlete has to have hit the NCAA Provo mark in their event and then will be selected by the NCAA. Last season, the Cardinals had two athletes qualify for the Outdoor National Championships, with Andrew Taylor competing in High Jump and Jabez Reeves competing in the 100-Meter Dash. The men are looking to send more representatives here during the 2023 season and the women are looking to send their first representatives to the event since 2021.
Expected Competitors
Iziaha Browning (3000 SC), Caroline Fodor (800/1500), Julian Griffin (110H), Sydney Hambel (5K), Damian Jackson (110H), Heaven Jackson (100/200), Moses Koroma (110H/400H), Kimbria Lance (PV), Keala McCurry (PV), Lorenzo Pelham (110H), Kimora Pooler (SP), Jabez Reeeves (100/200), Isha Sesay (110H), Jenay Soumahro (100H/400H), Andrew Taylor (HJ), Susan Trammel (100/200), Elijah Young (PV).
The Details
The Lee Flames Last Chance Invitational begins at 8:30 AM on Saturday at the Ray Conn Sports Complex on the campus of Lee University. You can follow along all day with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
