Brown Sets School Record as Pioneers Compete at Liberty Open

Spartanburg Methodist College continued its indoor track & field season Friday at the Liberty Open. Originally scheduled as a two-day meet, the competition was condensed into a single day, altering preparations for the Pioneers.

SMC was highlighted by a school-record performance in the 200-meter dash from junior Romeo Brown. Brown posted a time of 21.85 seconds in the finals, breaking the previous record of 21.88 set by Larry Lorenzo in 2015. The Newberry, S.C., native also placed sixth in the 60-meter dash, clocking a season-best 6.84. His performances in both the 60m and 200m rank as the fastest times in the Appalachian Athletic Conference during the indoor season.

Freshman Jalen Johnson recorded an AAC Championship qualifying time in the 200m with a mark of 23.15 and narrowly missed qualifying in the 60m after posting a season-best time of 7.26.

Four Pioneers recorded season-best marks in the 5,000-meter run, led by junior Ryan Hunter, who captured the event with a time of 15:54.02. Hunter's performance secured his spot in the AAC Indoor Track & Field Championships and currently ranks sixth in the conference.

Freshman Dante Hudnall finished fourth in the 5,000m and set a personal best with a time of 16:34.21. Teammates freshman Matthew Radford (18:33.02) and junior Steven Strange (20:28.86) also recorded personal bests in the event.

Sophomore Caleb Williams posted an AAC Championship qualifying performance in the 800m, lowering his season-best time to 2:04.65.

In the field events, freshman Chris Jennings recorded the top mark in the shot put with a throw of 40 feet, 1.25 inches (12.22m). Sophomore Devon Brown followed with a toss of 34-6.75 (10.53m), while freshman Kaleb Shockley added a mark of 32-11.75 (10.05m).

The Pioneers return to action January 30 at the Tryon International in Mill Spring, North Carolina.