ROCK HILL, S.C. — The Benedict College men’s track and field team won the 2019 SIAC Championship with a dominating performance to claim their first conference title since 2016 after back-to-back runner-up finishes the last two years.
The Tigers scored 207.5 points to easily beat second-place Morehouse, which scored 152.5 points. Albany State was third with 149 points.
Benedict’s Matthew Chesum was named the Most Outstanding Runner at the 2019 championship after coming away with four gold medals. He won the 10,000-meter run on Thursday night, the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Friday night, the 5,000-meter run on Saturday in a dominating 11 seconds, and the 1,500-meter run. 5372
Shemar Miller finished second in the pole vault, clearing 3.18 meters, while teammate Bryan McIver Jr. finished in a tie for fourth after clearing 3.03 meters.
Casser Middleton won the gold medal in the men’s hammer throw with a throw of 42.39 meters. Christian Taylor was fifth, and Joshua Brimmer was seventh.
Benedict’s 4×100-meter relay team of Kelvin Tillman, Josiah Atkins, Lirante Jackson and Andre Smith finished fourth with a time of 41.77.
Along with Chesum’s win in the 1,500-meter run, Dennis Kiprono and Amos Chebii scored points for the Tigers. Kiprono finished fifth with a time of 4:15.16, while Chebii followed in sixth in 4:15.78.
Jackson was second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.07, edging teammate Shemar Hylton in 49.09.
NaQuan Adams picked up a silver medal in the men’s high jump, clearing 1.95 meters.
Tillman finished fifth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.84. Atkins was eighth. Tillman had a second-place finish in the 200-meter dash, clocking a time of 22.20.
Kiprono earned a bronze medal with a third-place finish in the 800-meter run in a time of 1:58.62. Teammate Hylton was eighth.
Adams and Miller finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 400-meter hurdles to earn five points for the Tigers.
Evans Korir joined Chesum on the medal podium with a third-place finish in the 5,000-meter run. Japheth Kipruto finished sixth.
The Tigers closed out the championship with a second-place finish in the 4×400-meter relay race. The team of Hylton, Adams, Jackson and Atkins recorded a time of 3:20.98.
Courtesy: Benedict Athletics
