MOUNT BERRY, Ga. – UT Southern opened the outdoor season with a strong showing at the Victor Icebreaker Duals hosted by Berry College, turning in a number of notable performances across both the men's and women's sides.
The headline of the day came from Bruno Villazon, who delivered a record-setting run in the men's 5,000 meters. Villazon crossed the line first in 14:42.10, setting a new program record while finishing just seven seconds shy of the NAIA national qualifying standard. His performance highlighted a big day for the Firehawks' distance group, which produced several top finishes and strong early-season marks.
Frank Kipruto was right behind Villazon in the 5,000, placing second in 14:52.43 to give UT Southern the top two spots in the event. Kipruto also posted a runner-up finish in the 1,500 meters with a time of 3:59.69, while Villazon added a third-place finish in that same race after clocking 4:02.97. Martin Van Hamme added depth in the distance events, placing 17th in the 5,000 with a time of 15:54.58 and 28th in the 1,500 at 4:24.25. Amon Rotich turned in a 29th-place finish in the 5,000 at 16:17.07, while Jacob Casteel posted a 13th-place finish in the 10,000 meters with a mark of 35:51.75.
Daniel Sanchez competed in both the 800 and 1,500, finishing 28th in the 800 at 2:09.74 and 44th in the 1,500 with a time of 4:40.39.
In the sprints, Silas Hatton led the way for the Firehawks. Hatton placed 11th in the 100 meters with a time of 11.06 and later added a 14th-place finish in the long jump with a mark of 6.18 meters. Jack Wall finished 35th in the 100 at 11.69 and 42nd in the 200 at 25.61, while AJ Ganzer placed 37th in the 100 at 11.74 and 41st in the 200 with a time of 25.49. Jacob Sanchez finished 39th in the 100 meters in 11.78, and Thomas Mussman was disqualified in the event.
Tanner Meloon posted a time of 1:00.13 in the 400 meters to finish 30th, then returned to place ninth in the javelin with a throw of 41.76 meters. Sanchez had one of UT Southern's top field-event finishes of the day, taking second in the javelin with a mark of 53.93 meters. Lee Steakley turned in a fifth-place finish in the shot put with a toss of 13.37 meters, while Mussman finished 19th in the shot put at 9.97 meters.
UT Southern also competed in the men's 4x100 relay, where the Firehawks placed fifth with a time of 44.52 behind the team of Jacob Sanchez, Silas Hatton, and AJ Ganzer.
On the women's side, the Firehawks' distance crew also opened the season with a productive day.
Emma Vizina paced UT Southern in the 1,500 meters, placing sixth overall with a time of 5:07.98. Alyssa Andrea followed in 15th at 5:18.43, while Claire Deaton finished 22nd in 5:33.64. Vizina and Andrea later both recorded top-six finishes in the 5,000 meters as Andrea placed fifth in 19:28.62 and Vizina finished sixth in 19:36.60. Deaton added a 15th-place finish in the 5,000 with a mark of 20:17.99.
Amelia Worsley also scored a solid run in the 5,000, finishing 16th in 20:35.04. Lou-Anne Bernard competed in both the 800 and 5,000, taking 39th in the 800 at 2:55.26 before placing 25th in the 5,000 with a time of 21:56.31. Lauren Hallmark rounded out the Firehawks' women's efforts in the 5,000, finishing 28th in 22:42.14.
UT Southern will return to action March 20–21 at the Margaret Simmons Invite hosted by Murray State University.
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