Columbus State track finishes first day of Montevallo Classic

MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The Columbus State University track & field teams kicked off the weekend with the opening day of the Montevallo Classic on Friday. The two-day event is being held at the Montevallo Track Facility.

The Cougar men picked up 11.5 team points on the day, while the Lady Cougars tallied eight of their own.

Nate Blackmon kept his outstanding season going with a school-record showing in the long jump. The freshman took second place with a jump of 7.19 meters to break the record he set earlier this season.

Peter Bennett and Nathan Chapman each scored for the Cougars in the pole vault. Bennett finished in third clearing 4.25 meters, while Chapman jumped 4.10 meters and finished sixth.

Noah Churchwell closed the scoring for CSU with a sixth-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The freshman crossed the line in 10:12.75.

Kayla Waters was the high scorer for the Lady Cougars, taking third in the long jump. Waters posted a mark of 5.46 meters.

Linette Cepeda added to the CSU total as well, finishing sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Cepeda ended with a time of 13:03.42.

The meet will continue with the second day of competition on Saturday.

This story was originally published March 25, 2017 at 10:36 PM with the headline "Columbus State track finishes first day of Montevallo Classic."