CHESTER, Pa. - George Mason middle-distance and distance runners returned to competition Monday, May 11, at the Widener Final Qualifier. The Patriots were highlighted by three event victories from
Ella Semple,
Alex DeRoussel, and
Lloyd Sheppard-Brown.
Paul McClain opened the evening for the Green & Gold in the men's 800 meters, finishing in 1:53.70.
Semple was the lone women's competitor for George Mason and continued the momentum from her dominant 5000m victory earlier this month at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championships. She led the women's 1500 meters from start to finish, posting a personal-best time of 4:23.22 to win the event. The mark moves her to third on George Mason's outdoor all-time list.
In the men's 3000m steeplechase, DeRoussel captured first place with a personal-best time of 8:50.29. His performance keeps him second on George Mason's outdoor all-time list and improves his previous best by more than seven seconds. DeRoussel also moved into 38th place in the NCAA East Regional rankings, where the top 48 declared athletes in each event qualify for the opening round. The victory followed his bronze-medal performance in the same event at the A-10 Outdoor Championships.
Patriots also competed in the men's 1500m with
Nicholas Emmert,
Daniel Hayes, and
Caleb Hymans. Hymans placed sixth in 3:47.91, while freshman Hayes finished 10th in 3:48.88. Emmert crossed the line in 29th with a time of 3:55.15. Both Hymans and Hayes finished within one second of their personal bests.
The men's 5000 meters closed the meet for the Patriots. Coming off his gold-medal performance in the 10,000 meters at the A-10 Outdoor Championships, Sheppard-Brown delivered another standout effort, winning the event in a personal-best 14:00.00 (13:59.994). The performance moved him to second in George Mason's outdoor all-time list.
Bryson Barnett also recorded a personal best, placing 15th in 14:40.75.
The Patriots return to action Sunday, May 17, when several athletes travel to High Point to compete at the Dani Palooza Last Chance Qualifying Meet.
