Romeo Brown // photo by Steven Strange (SMC Sports Communications)

Posted: Apr 24, 2026

Pioneers Shine on Day Two Behind Brown’s Record-Breaking Title

The Spartanburg Methodist College men's track and field team delivered an impressive performance on day two of the 2026 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Track & Field Championships, highlighted by multiple season-best marks and an individual conference title.

Ryan Hunter set the tone early, earning All-AAC honors with a second-place finish in the 10,000 meters, posting a time of 31:33.09.

The men's 4x100-meter relay team of Javion Brannon, Qamari Govan, Qya Clemons, and Romeo Brown turned in one of the top performances of the day. The quartet recorded a season-best and school-record time of 40.82 to finish second and earn all-conference honors. The mark also meets the NAIA "B" standard and ranks among the top times nationally this season.

In the men's 4x800-meter relay, Caleb Williams, Wilson McClinton, Dante Hudnall, and Dylan Seppala combined for a season-best time of 8:37.11 to place sixth overall.

Individually, Parker Balog added a school record in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing eighth with a season-best time of 57.66.

The highlight of the day came in the 100-meter dash, where Romeo Brown captured the AAC title in dominant fashion. Brown crossed the line in 10.16, the fastest time in the NAIA this season, setting new records for Spartanburg Methodist College, Pulliam Stadium, and the AAC Championships. Teammates Qya Clemons (10.57) and Javion Brannon (10.70) posted season-best performances to finish sixth and ninth, respectively, while Qamari Govan added a personal-best time of 10.88.

In the 5,000-meter race walk, Dylan Seppala (34:38.01), Calvin Kowalke (35:14.93), and Dante Hudnall (35:17.60) each recorded personal-best times, finishing sixth, eighth, and ninth, respectively.

In the field events, Devon Brown secured All-AAC honors with a third-place finish in the javelin, delivering a top throw of 164-10. Kaleb Shockley placed 12th in the event with a mark of 119-8. Chris Jennings added an 11th-place finish in the shot put with a throw of 42-0.75.