Athletics clinches two golds and two silvers on Saturday
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Memphis’ Dee Nia McMiller and Cole Riddle both won gold at Saturday’s PNC Lenny Lyles Invitational, while Iason Machairas and Robby Watson added to the tally with one silver medal each.
The University of Louisville hosted the meet, which ended Saturday night at the Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center.
McMiller won the gold medal in the women’s shot put and also won a bronze medal in the shot put. Her new shot put mark (21.87m) moves her up one spot in the TFRRS rankings, taking her to ninth place overall in the NCAA.
On the men’s side, Riddle placed first in the men’s pole vault (5.36m), earning him a first-place finish in the American Athletic Conference and 14and place in the NCAA for the event.
The two silver medals were in the shot put (Machairas, 18.62m) and the shot put (Watson, 19.72m). These ratings place them first and second respectively in the conference for these events.
Other athletes currently at the top of the conference standings include Zachary Wyatt (sixth, 800m), Solstice Saliba (second, 5000m), Alyssa Morello (third, pole vault) and Parker Evans (third, shot put).
Overall, the Tigers earned 18 top-ten finishes, two more than at the Vanderbilt Invitational. On top of that, many athletes set personal bests and improved their performances in the season opener.
Next weekend, the Tigers will continue their indoor encounter in Birmingham at the South Alabama Invitational Sunday. This meeting will mark the halfway point of the indoor season until the AAC championship at the end of February.
Top 10 performers
Men
60m Preliminaries – 10. D’Angelo Whitehead, 6.98.
200m – 9. Jalen Neron, 22.08.
800m – 10. Zachary Wyatt, 1:54.71.
1 mile – 8. Zachary Wyatt, 4:11.26.
60m hurdles qualifying – 10. Jacari Simpson, 8.51.
Pole Vault – 1. Cole Riddle, 5.36 m. 9. Evan Puckett, 4.81m.
Long jump – 9. Justin Miller, 6.84m
Triple jump – 4. Sam Jones, 14.29m.
Shot put – 2. Iason Machairas, 18.62 m. ten. Parker Evans, 16.75m.
Shot put – 2. Robby Watson, 19.72m.
Women
400m – 8. Gabrielle Cross, 56.66
Pole vault, unranked – 7. Bryn Polly, J3.51m.
Shot put – 3. Dee Nia McMiller, 15.40m. 9. Samantha Leton, 13.58 m.
Shot put – 1. Dee Nia McMiller, 21.87m. seven. Samantha Leton, 18.13m.
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