FAIRFAX, Va. - George Mason track and field closed out the Patriot Games on Saturday, January 31 at the Field House with a strong final day, highlighted by event victories and personal bests
In the men's heptathlon pole vault, sophomore Nicholas DeWolfe cleared 4.84m to finish first in the event. The mark helped DeWolfe maintain his lead in the standings as the combined events continued. DeWolfe went on to secure first place overall in the men's heptathlon, finishing the competition with 4432 points to claim the combined events win for the Patriots.
George Mason athletes collected several event victories across the track and field events. The women's 4x400m relay team of Shanell Berry, Salma Fizaoui, Simone Hamlar, and Ay'rianna Moore earned first place with a time of 4:00.99. In the sprints, Kailynn Tyson captured the women's 60m finals in 7.69, while Jayden Apenteng won the men's 400m with a time of 50.79.
The hurdles were another highlight for the Patriots. Jayden Smith claimed first place in the men's 60m hurdles finals with a time of 7.80, a performance that placed him 39th on the NCAA Indoor Qualifying List and first in the Atlantic 10. On the women's side, Kaela-Michelle O'Connor captured the 60m hurdles title with a season-best time of 8.76, moving her into fourth place in the A-10 indoor season rankings for the event. Stephanie Dundas also recorded a season-best 9.15.
Field events continued to produce victories for Mason. Walt Bannerman cleared a season-best 5.30m to win the men's pole vault, a mark that currently ranks 31st nationally and first in the conference. Kennedy Drish earned the victory in the women's pole vault with a clearance of 4.11m, while William Michael Baker III won the men's weight throw with a mark of 15.74m.
Several Patriots posted notable personal-best performances. In the men's 60m, Aidan Walcott ran personal bests of 7.01 in the semifinals and 6.983 in the finals, while Darren McCoy also clocked a personal-best 6.986.
Distance runners represented at the home meet with strong showings. Nicholas Emmert placed third in the men's mile with a personal-best 4:12.49, while Tarrek Benlamkaddem recorded a personal record of 4:22.12. On the women's side, Aylin Yirmibesoglu ran a personal-best 5:16.88 in the mile, and Miranda Pinon added a personal record of 5:33.07. Alexa Pinon posted a personal-best 11:16.35 in the women's 3000m.
Additional highlights included a freshman personal best of 5.27m in the women's long jump by Kymara Fernandez, a personal-best 15.05m in the men's weight throw by Cameron Portis, and a tie for a personal record of 16.81m by Fiona Agyekum in the women's weight throw.
The George Mason track & field teams will be back in action next weekend at the Penn Classic in Philadelphia, Pa. from Friday, February 6 to Saturday, February 7.
