NASHVILLE, Tenn. — On April 26-27, 2024, ten members of the track and field team competed at the Vanderbilt Music City Challenge in Nashville. The weather was beautiful for the meet, which consisted of teams from schools such as Alabama A&M, Arkansas State, Austin Peay (Tenn.), Ball State (Ind.), Belmont (Tenn.), Bryan (Tenn.), Carson-Newman (Tenn.), Jacksonville State (Ala.), Lindenwood (Mo.), Lipscomb (Tenn.), Marshall (W. Va.), Middle Tennessee State, Murray State (Ky.), Southern Illinois, SIU Edwardsville, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, Alabama Birmingham, Georgia, UT Martin, Western Kentucky, and Vanderbilt (Tenn.), as well as quite a few unattached athletes and teams from professional and semi-pro track clubs.

In a strong showing for FHU, two school records were set on Friday, and two more were set on Saturday. First on Friday, senior Sean Janiec set a new school record in the 200 meter dash with a time of 22.18 seconds. The previous record had stood since May 2017. Janiec now has four of the top five 200m times in school history.

A little later, freshman Barrett Poe set a new school record in the 3000 meter steeplechase with a time of 9:43.11. Poe's record time has him currently ranked second in the Mid-South Conference in the event.

Also on Friday, sophomore Megan Lampley set a new personal record in the 1500 meter race with a time of 5:13.86. Lampley's time is the fourth fastest women's 1500m in school history. Senior Nathan Mangrum set a new 5K personal record with a time of 15:54.94, breaking his previous PR from the same Vandy meet last year. Finishing up the action on Friday, sophomore Eliza Poe set a new personal record in the 5K with a time of 19:23.04, giving her the fifth fastest women's 5K time in school history.

On Saturday the record setting performances continued. Sophomore Noah Johnson set a new FHU school record in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.12 seconds, breaking a record, as did Janiec in the 200m, which had been set seven years ago. Johnson's first round time of 11.12 and his second round time of 11.15 are his two fastest career times in the event.

Later in the day, Janiec set his second school record of the weekend, this time in the 400 meter dash with a time of 48.75 seconds, good for an eighth place finish in the race. With this time, Janiec is ranked second in the MSC in the event.

FHU had additional solid performances by Keegan Maguffee and Greer Davis in the men's javelin, and by Drew Williams and Daniel Puckett in the men's 5K, the latter of whom was only two seconds off of his PR time in the event.

The track and field team is next in action at the Mid-South Conference championships in Williamsburg, Kentucky, on April 5-6.