UMO BRIEFS: Trojan women claim third straight indoor track and field conference championship

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 29, 2016 1:50 PM

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UMO Media Relations

WINSTON-SALEM -- The University of Mount Olive indoor track and field team became the first female program in school history to win three consecutive Conference Carolinas on Sunday afternoon.

The Trojan women compiled 186 points.

Paulina Kremling claimed conference titles in the mile run and 3,000 meters, and placed third in the 800 meters. Tunisia Prince topped the field in the 60-meter dash, while Kelsey Valentine emerged victorious in the 5,000 meters. Prince also earned points in the 200 dash and long jump.

Alexis McNeil logged a pair of runner-up efforts in the 60 and 200 meters, and participated on the Trojans' 1,600-meter relay that placed fifth overall. Nichole Poppe won the weight throw and seized fourth in the shot put.

Emily Shaw, competing in her final CC meet, took second in the 5,000 and fourth in the 3,000.

Softball

AIKEN, S.C. -- Madison Johnston tossed a five-hit shutout and Caitlin Ewers' delivered the game-winning, seventh-inning RBI single as University of Mount Olive upended USC Aiken, 1-0, in a non-conference doubleheader Sunday afternoon.

Aiken salvaged a split with a 1-0 win in game two.

Johnson (3-4) didn't allow more than one runner on base in any inning and just one Aiken player advanced past second base. Johnson retired the side in order in the first inning and yielded one hit each in the second through sixth innings.

Tied at 0-0 after six innings, pinch-hitter Brooke Kamphuis connected on a lead-off single up the middle. Jazmin Montgomery advanced Kamphuis with a sacrifice and Ewers followed with her game-winning base knock.

Aiken threw a runner out at the plate in the opening inning and pitcher Chandler Terrapin induced an inning-ending pop-up to thwart a third-inning rally.

Ewers coaxed the Pacers into an inning-ending groundout in the third. However, Aiken plated the lone run in the sixth on Sarah Montei's base hit to right-center field -- her third hit of the game.

The Trojan women (5-9 overall) play host to in-state Conference Carolinas foe Pfeiffer U on Thursday. The doubleheader starts at 2 p.m. at Nancy Chapman Cassell Field.

Men's track

MOUNT OLIVE -- Limestone (S.C.) College denied the University of Mount Olive's "three-peat" bid in the season-ending Conference Carolinas indoor track and field championship meet contested at the JDL Fast Track on Sunday afternoon.

Eleven points separated the two teams.

Austin Steagall claimed the conference title in the 5,000 meters, ended up second in the 3,000 and took fourth in the mile run. Steagall ran one leg on the men's distance medley relay, which took the conference crown. He was joined by Aki Kitigawa, Stedmond Hampton and Fredric Lang.

Jonathan Dalhke emerged victorious in the 800 and mile run. Nick Greyno placed first in the shot put and collected runner-up honors in the weight throw.

Jacob Urys logged top-five efforts in three running events.

Baseball

MOUNT OLIVE -- In-state rival Pfeiffer U thwarted the University of Mount Olive's ninth-inning rally, and escaped Scarborough Field with a 5-4 win on Sunday afternoon.

The Trojans won the Conference Carolinas series 2-1.

Down 5-1, Alvin Swoop delivered a one-out single down the left-field line. One out later, Grant Tyndall singled up the middle and Zak Orrison closed the gap to 5-2 with an RBI bloop single to left.

David Mayo plated the final run with an RBI base knock. The Falcons (4-10 overall) induced a game-ending groundout to avoid a series sweep.

Josh Flott took the mound loss for the Trojans, who dropped to 6-4 overall. They return to action Tuesday at home against Catawba, which finished runner-up in the NCAA Division II College World Series a year ago.