Pioneers Sprint to Record-Breaking Performance at Tornado Classic

BREVARD, NC – The Spartanburg Methodist College men's track and field team continued its outdoor season Friday at the Tornado Classic, hosted by Brevard College, delivering a dominant performance highlighted by multiple records and standout sprint depth.

The Pioneers' strength in the sprints was on full display, led by junior Romeo Brown, who captured individual titles in both the 100m (10.45) and 200m (21.64). His winning time in the 100m set a new meet record.

SMC swept the top four spots in the 100m dash, with freshman Qya Clemons finishing second in a season-best 10.74, followed by sophomore Javion Brannon (10.92) and sophomore Qamari Govan (11.05). All four performances met AAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship qualifying standards.

In the 200m, Clemons added a third-place finish (22.43), while Govan recorded a personal best of 22.69 to place fourth. The 400m saw additional progress, as freshmen Khalil Johnson (52.97) and Charles Ramsey (54.05) each posted personal records. Sophomore John Jones also notched a PR in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:05.92.

Distance standout Ryan Hunter opened the day with a historic performance in the 10,000m, breaking the SMC school record by nearly two minutes with a time of 31:25.67—also setting a new meet record.

In the field events, freshman Devon Brown established a new school record in the discus with a throw of 97-10 (29.82m). He also placed third in the javelin (140-11 / 42.97m), while freshman Kaleb Shockley finished eighth (119-6 / 36.43m).

The Pioneers had another record-setting performance in the 4x100m relay, as the team of Brannon, Parker Balog, Clemons, and Brown secured the win in a school-record time of 41.35—currently the fastest mark in the AAC this season by 0.01 seconds.