BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Freshman jumper Jared Harrell claimed his first AAC crown in his first attempt in the long jump on Friday at Day One of the 2023 AAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Five other Pirates set marks ranking in the top 10 in program history on the day as well as the men’s and women’s distance medley relays.
Harrell’s winning leap of 7.49m (24-7) ranks fourth in East Carolina history in the event and 5.25 inches farther than his nearest competitor. Earlier in the season, the Morrisville native had jumped onto the scene and into the program record book at No. 7 with his mark of 7.36m.
Harrell was not alone in making changes to the East Carolina record books as Tereza Babicka, Lindsay Yentz, Jasmine Jenkins, Rileigh Cardin and Austin Mathews all did as well.
Babicka had a breakthrough in the pentathlon in just her second collegiate attempt, moving up to No. 2 on the all-time list with 3,707 points. Babicka finished sixth overall in the event. Jenkins showed her class once again, moving to sixth in program history with her throw of 18.86m (61-10.5) in the weight throw, good for fifth in the event.
Rileigh Cardin continued her strong run in the pole vault with a clearance of 3.84m (12-7.25), good for sixth in the competition and third in program history. Yentz and Mathews both did their damage in distance events with Yentz moving up to fifth in program history in the mile with a time of 4:55.95 and doing enough to move on to Saturday’s final. Mathews continued a strong season with his 14:45.11 in the 5,000m, good for 12th in the competition and third in program history.
In the DMRs, the men’s team of Zach Willer, Coleman Ferrell, Nick Willer and Alex Sawyer ran 10:04.00, good for fifth in program history while the women’s squad of Lindsay Yentz, L’Nya Carpenter, Lily Scholssberg and Navaya Zales ran 11:53.81 for eighth all-time. The men finished fourth in the event while the women took seventh.
The Pirates will be back at it Saturday for the final day of competition. As things stand the women are currently in ninth with 13 points and the men in seventh with 16.
