University of Mount Olive 'three-peats' in men's & women's outdoor track

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on May 2, 2016 1:49 PM

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UMO Media Relations

BANNER ELK -- University of Mount Olive men's and women's teams emerged victorious during the three-day Conference Carolinas outdoor track and field championship meet at Lees-McRae College.

UMO, which won its third consecutive title, garnered 33 medals over the two-day affair.

The men -- who accumulated 227 total points -- won seven gold, three silver and five bronze medals en route to a 12-point victory over rival Limestone.

Austin Steagall, Michael Munoz, Akiharu Kitagawa and Frederic Lang led the Trojan distance-running charge, pacing matters in both the 3,000 and 10,000 meters.

Nick Greyno took gold in three events -- the shot put, discus and hammer throw. He was joined by Junno Engelking, whose mark of 61.5 meters was good enough to secure the top spot in the javelin throw.

The UMO women recorded 211 points and secured 18 total medals -- 10 gold, three silver and five bronze.

Alexis McNeil recorded a first-place time in both the 100 and 400 dashes, as did Bailee Henry in the 1,500 run.

The distance duo of Emily Shaw and Kelsey Valentine finished just four seconds apart in the 1,500, and medaled again in the 10,000. It was part of a busy weekend for Valentine, who would later secure gold in the 3,000 steeplechase.

UMO's 4x1 relay of Ayanna King, Tunisia Prince, McNeil and Mictasha Mickle claimed victory with a finals time of 47.53 -- a mark that edged Limestone by just over a full second.

Prince also won gold in the long jump with a mark of 5.75 meters.

Khadijah Kale took first place in the shot put, and also nabbed silver in the hammer throw. Nichole Poppe won gold in both the discus and hammer events, while Alanna McCarthy emerged as the bronze medalist in the hammer.

The Trojans now wait to learn if any of their weekend marks qualify for a spot in this month's NCAA Division II Championships.

Men's tennis

SUMTER, S.C. -- Second-seeded University of Mount Olive fought through dismal weather and turned back Pfeiffer, 5-4, to earn a third consecutive Conference Carolinas men's tennis championship Sunday afternoon.

The Trojans (15-5 overall) secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional.

UMO's Martin Moser-Yannic Stark throttled the Pfeiffer U coupling of Anthony Brennan-Thomas Hubble, 8-0, to enter singles play trailing 2-1.

Sherzod Akramov won 6-1, 6-3 at No. 6 singles, and was joined by Jose Luis Cortijos, Martin Moser and Yannic Stark. Cortijos' decisive match was highlighted by a rally from a 5-1 deficit versus Pfeiffer's Oscar Van Kock.

"I am so proud of these guys," head coach Kevin Goghill said. "All the hard work they put forth was amazing. They picked each other up when one went down, and I am so proud."

Men's lacrosse

GAFFNEY, S.C. -- University of Mount Olive, ranked No. 9 in the latest USILA coach's poll, fell to top-ranked Limestone College, 18-11, in the Conference Carolinas men's lacrosse championship game held Sunday.

The Trojans (13-4 overall) fell behind early, as the Saints registered four successive goals to begin the first quarter. UMO, led by Jacob Ball's hat trick (three goals), trailed 6-4 heading into the second quarter.

Back-and-forth scoring marked the second period, with both teams combining for seven goals. Limestone's Charlie Sheehan scored with just 38 seconds remaining in the quarter to provide the hosts a 10-7 halftime advantage.

UMO started slowly again after the break, allowing another Limestone run -- five goals in a span of four minutes -- to make the score 17-9.

The final quarter was a coronation for the undefeated Saints, who fired 30 shots on goal for the contest.

Brett Kingston paced the Trojan effort with six goals and two groundballs, while Skyler King tallied four turnovers.

Kingston, Luke Morris and Ryan Morris were selected to the Conference Carolinas all-tournament team. The Trojans must now wait to learn if they will receive a bid to the NCAA tournament, which begins play on May 21.