By: Lee Holden, Contributing Writer

For Wofford’s track and field team, this season has brought several broken school records and multiple finishes that rank as the highest Wofford has ever seen in competition.

To recap the team’s most recent outing (at the time of this publication), Wofford broke eight school records at the Terrier Relays, hosted at Wofford on April 3 and 4. For the men, the 4×800 relay team, consisting of Cisco Ferre, Joe Harbacevich, Ben Hensley and Alex Michaels, broke the school record with a time of 8:02.99.

Conrad Heinrich lowered his own school record in the 400 meter hurdles, while Sam Robinson broke the record in the pole vault. Gaston Hayworth also broke the record in the hammer throw.

The women also broke several records at the meet. The 4×100 relay team of Alexandra Burgess, LeAndrea Combo, Olivia Head and Amber Lust broke the school record with a time of 48.47.

Lust broke the 100 meter record with 12.40, and McLeod Dean added the record in the 200 meters with 25.77. In the hammer throw, Alex King broke the school record with 43.14 meters.

The team’s success has been highlighted by the strength of seniors such as Michaels, Ryan Doyle and Tevin Johnson for the men, and Marella Angello, Sloane Brandon, and Nicole Carpenter for the women. The freshman class has also been a huge highlight for both teams, with multiple freshman already breaking school records.

“Things are going really well,” says sophomore Hensley. “The whole team from top to bottom is the best it’s ever been. On top of that, our freshmen are great and our incoming freshmen will be great, so we’re going to keep improving.”

Wofford’s outings have come alongside a general increase in the performance and prestige of the Southern Conference, which gives Wofford’s showing even more impact. The SoCon has recently seen success from Paul Chelimo of UNC-Greensboro, one of the nation’s fastest runners, whose high finishes have made him an exemplar of the conference.

On a different note, Wofford’s team has managed this recent string of success without a track and field of its own. Currently, the team practices at the Spartanburg High School track. However, with Spartan High School’s plan to move locations, it is unknown if the team will still be able to run there in the coming years.

Upcoming events include the Western Carolina University Invitational in Cullowhee, N.C. (4/29/2016) and the Southern Conference Championship, also in Cullowhee, which will conclude the outdoor season.

Keep running, Terriers!