Track and Field Opens Outdoor Season in Strong Fashion

Friday, March 15

Mobile, Ala.

Troy University

South Alabama Invitational

Track and Field Opens Outdoor Season in Strong Fashion

3/16/2024 9:04:00 PM | Track & Field

USF Results South Alabama Results

TROY, Ala. – The Troy track and field program opened its outdoor season with strong performances at the USF Alumni Invitational and the South Alabama Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

The Trojans split their squad in half as a number of student-athletes traveled to Tampa, Fla., with the rest heading to Mobile, Ala. Overall, the Trojans head home with five first-place finishes –– all coming in Mobile – and a plethora of other podium and top-10 finishes.

In the South Alabama Invitational, the men's and women's teams finished second. The women scored 115 points, while the men recorded 123.

Moving in Mobile
Martin Bouldo had a huge Saturday for the Trojans, as he set a new personal best in the 800m with a time of 1:53.56 to claim first place. In addition to his winning performance in the event, the Trojans claimed the top-six spots in the 800m with Chance Armstrong and Mario Tullis rounding out the podium spots.

Kasia Cooper picked up an impressive first-place finish in the 400m with a time of 56.30. In the 1500m, freshman Lucy Turley picked up a first-place finish in her first collegiate outdoor event with a time of 5:04.61 – also good for a PR.

In the men's 4x400 relay, Troy picked up a first and second-place finish. First was the squad of Armstrong, Bouldo, Christian Buzzard and Dwight Mason, with a time of 3:20.63. Edrich Alblas, Eugene Vickers, Jasai Taylor and Tristian Abrams put together a time of 3:25.51 for second place.

Troy's final victory came in the 4x100 relay as Buzzard, Kendal Culmer, Noah Puttna and Sylvester Smith finished the event in 41.98 seconds.

Throwing it in Florida
The Trojans' main success at the USF Alumni Invitational came in the throwing events. Cole Stewart started the action on Friday with a second-place result in the men's javelin with a throw of 63.06m.

Morgan Reece also had a nice Friday, as he set a personal record in the hammer throw with a distance of 59.65m – good for seventh place.

Javon Osbourne, with a toss of 17.13m, placed sixth in the shot put. Altwayne Bedard (ninth) and Anthony Symile (tenth) also had good finishes for the Trojans. Troy was one of two teams with three athletes in the top 10 for the shot put (Iowa State).

Osbourne also finished fifth in the discus throw at 54.76m, with Symile finishing just behind him in seventh place.

Thoughts from Coach
Director of track and field Marc Davis gave his thoughts on the opening weekend:

"We had a solid start to the outdoor season. Our throwers had some great overall performances against some of the best in the country. Every event was represented at both USF and USA with a finalist, so it shows they are ready to really compete. There were some big personal bests, and the best is yet to come. There were some very big personal bests in the running and jumping events which is great this early in the season. We have a tough schedule ahead. We have to move one week at a time and not get ahead of ourselves. Trust the process and compete hard."

Up Next
The Trojans head to Oxford, Miss., next weekend for the Ole Miss Classic on Friday and Saturday.

First Place Finishes
Martin Bouldo – Men's 800m (South Alabama)
Kasia Cooper – Women's 400m (South Alabama)
Lucy Turley – Women's 1500m (South Alabama)
Chance Armstrong, Martin Bouldo, Christian Buzzard and Dwight Mason – Men's 4x400 Relay
Christian Buzzard, Kendal Culmer, Noah Puttna and Sylvester Smith – Men's 4x100 Relay

Second Place
Cole Stewart – Men's Javelin (USF)
Leah Kennedy – Women's Shot Put (South Alabama)
Shanyah Washington, Catherine Forbes, Hope Igbinoghene, Kierra Montgomery – Women's 4x100 Relay
Chance Armstrong – Men's 800m (South Alabama)
Jasai Taylor – Men's 400m Hurdles (South Alabama)
Jordan Bailey – Women's Triple Jump (South Alabama)
Kierra Montgomery – Women's 200m (South Alabama)
Edrich Alblas, Eugene Vickers, Jasai Taylor and Tristian Abrams – Men's 4x400 Relay

Third Place
Brooke Burns – Women's Discus (South Alabama)
Eugene Vickers – Men's 110m Hurdles (South Alabama)
Alexander Bendig – Men's 1500m (South Alabama)
Christian Buzzard – Men's 400m (South Alabama)
Mario Tullis – Men's 800m (South Alabama)
Shanyah Washington – Women's 200m (South Alabama)

Personal Records
Anthony Symile, Discus – 53.85m
Narissa Clay, Hammer – 45.65
Morgan Reese, Hammer – 59.65
Martin Bouldo, 800m – 1:53.56
Kyra Dalluge, 800m – 2:30.40
Christian Buzzard, 400m – 49.75
Tydreke Thomas, 100m – 10.26
Alejandra Gutierrez Fuente, Shot Put – 10.02m
Aisley McMeen, 3000m – 11:41.62
Gavan Baxley, 3000m – 9:26.92
Dylan Nelson, 3000m – 9:37.62
Caleb Locklin, 3000m – 9:45.87
Logan Stewart, 3000m – 9:50.04
Andrew Bradshaw, 3000m – 9:50.21