NASHVILLE 鈥 Cumberland鈥檚 women opened the track-and-field season Sunday with a strong effort at the Ed Temple Classic, racking up multiple individual victories and podium finishes across a variety of events.
Senior Praise Idamadudu and juniors Leesa Mutandwa and Daveina Watson led the way with first-place finishes.
Idamadudu claimed the 800-meter title in commanding fashion, crossing the finish line in 2:32.5 to earn 10 points. Freshman Channon Cundiff followed closely behind in second place with a time of 2:38.77, securing eight points to further boost the Phoenix鈥檚 tally.
Mutandwa showcased her versatility with a pair of top-three finishes. She won the high jump with a mark of 1.57 meters, collecting 10 points, and placed third in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:01.95, adding six more points to her total.
The throws squad was dominant in the opener, with Watson winning the shot put with a toss of 13.62 meters and placing fourth in the weight throw (12.33m). Sophomore Zoe Vlk continued her stellar form, taking second in the shot put (13.35m) and winning the weight throw with a massive mark of 16.86 meters. Both Watson and Vlk鈥檚 marks hit NAIA 鈥淏鈥 Standards and are the sixth and seventh-best marks in the NAIA this season. Vlk also hit 鈥淏鈥 standards in the weight throw with the seventh-best mark in the country. Senior Sophiat Omizi added six points with a third-place finish in the weight throw (12.46m).
Freshman Isabella Lehtinen finished eighth in the 55-meter dash finals with a time of 7.58 in her collegiate debut. She also clocked in at 8.88 seconds in the 55-meter hurdles to claim third place.
Cumberland will head to Vanderbilt this weekend to take on the Commodore Challenge on Friday and Saturday.
Men also kick off campaign at Ed Temple Classic
NASHVILLE 鈥 Cumberland鈥檚 men collected a couple of wins in their season opener at the Ed Temple Classic on Sunday.
Mustapha Bokpin highlighted the day for the Cumberland men picking up two wins in his freshman debut. Bopkin dominated the 55-meter dash, winning the preliminaries with a time of 6.34 seconds before improving to 6.28 seconds in the final, securing 10 points for the team. He continued his success in the 400 meters, where he crossed the line first in 49.06 seconds to add another 10 points to Cumberland鈥檚 total.
Fellow freshman Veron Ifill also contributed with a solid fifth-place finish in the 400 meters, clocking 51.31 seconds and earning four points. In the 55-meter hurdles, senior Renaldo Savoury advanced to the final with a preliminary time of 8.31 seconds but was unfortunately disqualified in the final.
Junior Ahmed Demerdash made his mark in the triple jump, placing sixth with a leap of 13.40 meters to earn five points for the team.
The Phoenix will return to Nashville next weekend as they head to Vanderbilt for the Commodore Challenge on Friday and Saturday.
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