MURRAY, Ky. – The UT Southern track and field teams turned in a strong showing at the Margaret Simmons Invitational, highlighted by a historic performance from Frankline Kipruto and multiple scoring finishes across distance and sprint events.
Kipruto delivered the headline moment of the weekend in the men's 10,000 meters, breaking the program record with a winning time of 30:56.70 to claim first place in dominant fashion. The sophomore standout continued his remarkable season, adding another milestone performance to an already record-setting campaign.
He also impressed in the 1500 meters, finishing second overall with a time of 3:56.72, further showcasing his range and consistency across distances.
The Firehawks distance group showed depth behind Kipruto in the 10,000 meters, with Jacob Casteel placing third (35:21.70), Luca Neumeister finishing fourth (35:52.69), and Cameron Stovall adding a fifth-place finish (37:27.78) in a strong team effort.
In the 5,000 meters, Martin Van Hamme turned in a top-five performance, placing fifth with a time of 16:19.55, while Amon Rotich added an eighth-place finish at 16:45.50.
On the track, Silas Hatton led the way in the sprints, earning a third-place finish in the 100 meters finals with a time of 10.77 after qualifying through the prelims. Hatton also secured a victory in the long jump, adding to his standout weekend for the Firehawks.
The Firehawks also saw contributions in the 200 and 400 meters, as AJ Ganzer posted a 23.67 in the 200 and a 51.97 in the 400, while Jack Wall added times of 23.92 in the 200 and 53.77 in the 400.
UT Southern's relay squad of Hatton, Jacob Sanchez, Ganzer, and Wall secured a third-place finish in the 4x100 relay with a time of 44.78, adding valuable points for the Firehawks.
In the field of middle-distance events, Martin Van Hamme (4:09.05) and Daniel Sanchez (4:38.27) contributed solid efforts in the 1500 meters.
On the women's side, Claire Deaton delivered a standout performance by winning the 10,000 meters with a time of 41:47.99, while Amelia Worsley followed with a runner-up finish at 43:41.07 to give UT Southern a 1-2 sweep.
Emma Vizina led the way in the 1500 meters with a time of 5:10.94, while Lou-Anne Bernard added a time of 5:21.54. Bernard also competed in the 800 meters, posting a time of 2:37.69.
The women's 4x800 relay team of Bernard, Alyssa Andrea, Deaton, and Vizina finished second with a time of 11:02.89, continuing a strong showing in distance relays.
Lauren Hallmark rounded out the distance performances with a time of 23:42.57 in the 5,000 meters.
UT Southern will return to action at the UWG Legends Meet, hosted by the University of West Georgia.
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