Rochester, Mich. – Molly Radcliffe and Hunter Christopher claimed titles on the first day of competition of the Horizon League Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the Elaine Leigh Track and Field Complex at Oakland University.
In the team standings, the women scored 23 points to grab an early lead over Milwaukee and Purdue Fort Wayne who are tied for second with 20 points. The men are tied with Purdue Fort Wayne as both schools have 31 points while in third is Oakland with 19.
Radcliffe had a winning toss of 46.45m to lead a one-two finish as Lexus Solarz finished second in the event in her Horizon League debut with a toss of 44.06m. Radcliffe finished second last year and third in 2022 to complete a HL medal trifecta for her career. She's also the first Guin since Jaynee Corbett in 2018 to win the discus.
Christopher closed out the night with an impressive win in the 10,000m. Christopher and IUPUI's Nicholas Perkins pulled ahead of the field early. On lap 15, Christopher took control and was never threatened as he cruised home with a time of 30:04.03. After battling it out with five other runners, Ryan Meadows raced home to place second with a time of 30:10.25. It was the first career outdoor win for Christopher while Meadows finished second in the event for the second straight year.
In the men's discus, Coleson Kertesz had a career-best Horizon League performance placing second with a throw of 49.58m while Ryan Henry came in career-best fourth with a throw of 47.72m. Last year, Kertesz finished third while Henry was sixth.
In the women's javelin, India Bailey was seventh in her HL debut with a throw of 34.62m. In the women's 10,000m, Alyssa Deeds finished sixth with a time of 37:11.66.
After the first day of competition in the heptathlon, Teddi Kinsey is in seventh place with 2,601 points after four events.
In the women's 1500m, Morgan Cole won her heat with a time 4:41.13. Cole's time was the third-fastest qualifying mark of the night.
In the men's 1500m, Tyler Clark and and Riley Jackson advanced to the finals. Jackson ran a time of 3:54.16 while Clark clocked a 3:59.69.
Day two begins with the multi events at 9 a.m. The shot put and long jump get underway at noon. Running events are set to start at 3 p.m.
