ECU Wire Services

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The East Carolina track and field program continued its record-setting season as the Pirates set another two standards at the Virginia Tech Elite Meet over the weekend. Additionally, 17 Pirates set new personal-best times for themselves and a dozen etched their names into the ECU record book.

“We felt like we had another successful weekend,” Head Coach Curt Kraft said. “We had a team meeting on Friday and explained the importance of continuing to improve our performances each week. I was really proud of how everyone responded at Virginia Tech.”

Senior Drew Kanz earned the only first-place finish of the weekend for the Pirates as he won the high jump with a personal-best and school-record tying mark of 2.17-meters (7-01.50). He was followed in the event by freshman Avion Jones, with whom he shares the ECU school record. Jones placed third in the event with a mark of 2.14-meters (7-00.25). Rounding out the high jump, sophomore Joey Muzzio notched a personal-best mark of 1.98-meters (6-06.00) for an eighth-place finish. Muzzio’s mark ties him for seventh in the ECU record book.

Henry Johnson, who set the school record in the pole vault two weeks ago, turned in a new personal-best and ECU-record performance of 5.08-meters (16-08.00) to place seventh. Aaron Zakula finished 10th in the event with a mark of 4.93-meters (16-02.00) and Stephen Hodapp placed 11th with a personal-best mark of 4.93-meters (16-02.00). Hodapp now ranks third all-time at ECU in the indoor pole vault. Sophomore Adam Tuck competed in the pole vault unseeded and earned a seventh-place finish with a lifetime-best clearance of 4.35-meters (14-03.25) to move into sixth place in the East Carolina record book.

Sophomore jumper Cameron Hudson was another Pirate who tallied a personal-best in the field as he notched a mark of 7.72-meters (25-04.00) in the long jump for a second-place finish. Hudson mark is also good for second in the East Carolina record book.

The men’s 4×800-meter relay squad of Jakub Trzasalski, Brather Cline, Dylan Traywick, and John Crossley finished fifth with a time of 7:51.52. Their time marks the fourth-best time in program history.

On the women’s side, Brooke Kott shattered her previous personal-best mile time as she clocked a 4:56.75 to finish ninth in the event. In addition to being a new lifetime-best, her time also ranks third all-time in the ECU annals.

Also on the track, Janieyah Collins turned in a new career-best time of 56.71 in the 400-meter dash. Her time earned her a 12th-place finish in the event and ranks her eighth in the East Carolina record book. Collins finished behind Aiesha Goggins who placed ninth with a time of 56.41.Goggins is currently the ECU record holder in the 400-meter dash with a time of 53.80 which she set in 2011.

In the field, Taylor Drummonds bettered her pole vault mark as she registered a career-best mark of 3.60-meters (11-09.75) in the event for a second-place finish. She is now tied for sixth place in the East Carolina record book.

The women’s shot put saw a pair of Pirates record new personal-bests for themselves. Junior thrower Kayla Padgett was the top-finisher for East Carolina with a mark of 13.40-meters (43-11.75) for a 13th-place finish. She paced Dana Keister (16th place), Kaylee Redon (17th place), and Kelsey Rohrig (18th place) in the event. Keister notched a career-best mark of 12.52-meters (41-01.00) to rank ninth for East Carolina all-time. Redon’s personal-best mark of 12.35-meters (40-06.25) is good for 10th in the ECU record book. Rohrig posted a toss of 12.32-meters (40-05.00).

“We had a good meet, but we have to continue to work hard, stay focused, stay healthy and have great practices for the next three weeks,” Kraft said. “The goal is to perform at a high level at the Conference USA Indoor Championships.”

East Carolina will return to action Friday, February 14, at the JDL Fast Track Invitational in Winston Salem, N.C. The meet will conclude on Saturday, February 15.