MT. BERRY, Ga. — The Columbus State University Men's Track & Field team had a strong showing on Saturday, finishing second overall with 123 points at the Victor Icebreaker Duals, hosted by Berry College in Mt. Berry, Ga.
The Cougars produced balanced performances across multiple event groups, collecting 47 points in the jumps, 36 in hurdles, 15 in relays, 15 in throws, eight in sprints, and two in distance events during the meet.
Zion Atkinson delivered one of the top performances of the day for Columbus State, capturing first place in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.90 seconds. Teammate Aaryn Sanders followed closely behind with a second-place finish in 58.52, giving the Cougars a dominant showing in the event. Ian Lockett added a fourth-place finish with a time of 1:00.71, further strengthening the hurdle group's performance.
In the field events, freshman
Jamir Bradley claimed the high jump title, clearing 1.96 meters (6'5") to secure first place. Columbus State also posted strong marks in the horizontal jumps, as
David Anderson finished second in the long jump with a leap of 7.04 meters (23'1.25"), while
Amari Adams placed fourth with a mark of 6.95 meters (22'9.75").
Anderson added another scoring performance in the triple jump, finishing fourth overall with a mark of 13.49 meters (44'3.25").
On the track, Dakarai Walker led the Cougars in the sprint events with a fifth-place finish in the 200 meters, clocking 21.86 seconds. Columbus State also saw solid performances from
Malik Hall (22.52),
Xavier Harper (22.89), and
Tristen Cole (22.96) in the event.
The Cougars added key points in the 110-meter hurdles, where
Zaccharius Brown placed third with a time of 15.50 seconds, followed closely by Ian Lockett in fifth at 15.55.
In the middle-distance races, Sam Essombe led Columbus State in the 400 meters, finishing seventh in 50.64 seconds, while
Ethan Sanders followed in 12th place with a time of 51.70.
Columbus State also closed the meet with a strong performance in the 4x400-meter relay, where the quartet of
Tyler Thomas,
Ethan Sanders,
Zaccharius Brown, and Dakarai Walker finished second overall with a time of 3:20.17. The Cougars' B relay squad of
Tristen Cole, Sam Essombe, Kenneth Brooks, and
David Anderson placed fourth in 3:25.46.
In the throwing events,
Raylene Magby paced the Cougars with a fourth-place finish in the shot put, recording a mark of 14.91 meters (48'11"), while Trenten Walker-Harmon added a fifth-place finish in the discus with a throw of 43.46 meters (142'7").
Senior distance runner
Owen Hartshorn posted the top finish for Columbus State in the distance events, placing eighth in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:07.07, while
Blake Lewis followed in 13th place at 4:12.93.
Up Next
The Cougars will continue their outdoor season at the Falcon Track & Field Classic on Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14, hosted by the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Ala.
