Men's Track & Field | 5/6/2018 5:36:00 PM

Final Results

FAIRFAX, Va. – Sprinters led the way for the George Mason men's and women's track and field teams on the final day of the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

The Mason men's and women's 4x400-meter relay teams capped off the two-day meet by winning gold medals and setting A-10 Championship records in the last two races of the weekend on Sunday at George Mason Stadium. In all, the Patriots collected seven gold medals on Saturday and Sunday, including four in sprint and relay events.

Redshirt junior John Seals, who won four medals, including a gold in the 110-meter hurdles, was named the A-10 Outdoor Men's Outstanding Field Performer. Freshman GJaudy John-Wallace was tabbed as the Most Outstanding Female Rookie. The sprinter, who also was named the top rookie at the A-10 Indoor Championship, collected a pair of silver medals in the 100-meter dash and the 4x100-meter relay.

In the team results, the Patriots finished second on the men's side with 172.5 points as Rhode Island captured the championship for the second straight year with 216.5 points. The Mason women, the defending A-10 champs, placed third with 107 points. The Patriots were just two points behind Dayton (109). VCU claimed the title with 159 points.

One of the most exciting races in track, the 4x400-meter relay didn't disappoint on either side.

In the women's event, the Patriots broke the previous A-10 Championship record of 3:40.15 – set by Mason just last year – by nearly two seconds. Senior Ashley Lucas started off the race and handed off to fellow senior Sharon Dorsey, who gave the Patriots the lead. She then handed off to sophomore Ashley Lewis, who gave the baton to anchor Sarah Moore. The junior pulled away down the straightaway as the Patriots finished in 3:38.58 – a second ahead of VCU (3:39.58).

The men's 4x400-meter relay was just as drama filled as the women's finale. The Mason men also broke their A-10 Championship record of 3:10.28 they set a year ago. On Sunday, the relay team of freshman Ian Christian, redshirt sophomore Tyler Benson, redshirt sophomore Evander Pierre and junior Rico Gomez finished in 3:09.10, just five-hundredths of a second in front of VCU (3:09.15). Gomez jumped in front on the last curve and then held off the VCU anchor down the straightaway, leaning across the finish line for the gold medal.

Both 4x400 anchors for the Patriots enjoyed double the gold on Sunday. Moore and Gomez won the 400-meter dash on the men's and women's sides. Gomez won his second consecutive A-10 outdoor gold medal in the 400 (he also claimed gold in the A-10 indoor in the 400) with a time of 47.02. Moore also repeated as A-10 champ in the 400 with a personal-best time of 53.41.

Freshman Avory Ransome made a grand A-10 Outdoor Championship debut, winning the shot put with a toss of 50 feet, 7 ½ inches for his first gold medal. Fellow freshman Jaylen Simmons grabbed the bronze medal with a throw of 49 feet, 8 ¼ inches.

Seals, showing off his wide range, competed in five events. Competing in his first A-10 Outdoor Championship in two years (he redshirted in the outdoor season of 2017), the Springfield, Va., native, scored in all five and earned three medals.

The redshirt junior finished first in the 110-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 14.44 for his first gold medal in the event. He also took second in the high jump (6 feet, 9 ½ inches), third in the long jump (23 feet, 8 ¼ inches), fourth in the pole vault (15 feet, 5 inches) and sixth in the javelin (180 feet, 2 inches).

Senior Shelby Garnand captured the Patriots' first gold medal of the weekend on Saturday. She repeated as A-10 champ in the pole vault with a leap of 12 feet, 7 ½ inches.

The Patriots return to action on Saturday and Sunday with the ECAC/IC4A Championships in Princeton, N.J.