Statesmen Battle Big Schools at Nebraska Graduate Classic

Lincoln, Neb.--The William Penn track and field teams faced stiff competition Friday and Saturday as it took on a diverse field at the Nebraska Graduate Classic.

Competing against teams of all sizes, including NCAA Division I foes, the Statesmen still managed some top showings.

Headlining the weekend was Anthony Weaver (So., Demopolis, Ala., Mechanical Engineering) placing second in the triple jump at 47-2.25.  The sophomore was also 11th in the long jump at 20-10.5.

Micah Mills (So., Houston, Texas, Psychology) tied Weaver for 11th in the long jump, while finishing fourth in the triple jump at 44-7.5 as well.  Fellow long jumper John Webb (So., Dothan, Ala., Mechanical Engineering) ended up ninth at 21-8.

Showalter Johnson (Sr., Nassau, Bahamas, New Media) guided the sprinters as he was fourth in the 60-meter dash in 6.84 seconds, while Tony Paye (Fr., Johnston, Iowa, Exercise Science) placed ninth in the 60-meter hurdles in 8.35 seconds.

The middle distance and distance runners were headed by D'Artagnon Beaver (Sr., Rockford, Ill., Human Services) as he was sixth in the 3,000-meter run in 8:35.53.  The senior added a 16th-place effort in the 800-meter run (1:58.44).

Brandon Williams (Sr., Fountain, Colo., Engineering Technology) had WPU's best 800 time in 1:56.81 to take 13th, while Andrew Miller (So., Le Claire, Iowa, Exercise Science) was a few spots behind Beaver in the 3,000 at 8:56.76.

Xzavion West (Jr., Guthrie, Ky., Undecided) took the lead for the Statesmen throwers by finishing sixth in the weight throw at 52-1.25.

De'Avae Adderley (Jr., Nassau, Bahamas, Engineering Technology) paced a small female crew as she was both 30th in the 200-meter dash (26.72) and 32nd in the 60 (8.14).

"This weekend was a good learning opportunity for our athletes," Head Coach Victoria Vinokur said.  "They saw some big competition and will be able to a draw a lot from it heading into training and the rest of the season."

Next Up: William Penn travels to Mount Vernon next Saturday to compete in the Cornell Hilltop Invitational.