Women's Track & Field | 12/5/2015 7:47:00 PM

Winston-Salem, N.C.----The Wingate University indoor track and field teams competed in the JDL Fast Track College Kick-off Classic Saturday. The annual event was Wingate's first competition of the 2016 indoor season.
 
Wingate head men's and women's track and field coach Travis LeFlore, throws coach Whitney Smyre and graduate assistant sprints coach Cole Henderson checked in with the Bulldog sports information department after the meet. A transcript from each coach's reflections follows.
 
Travis LeFlore
 
Men's jumps: "Overall, it was an amazing day for us. The highlight of the day was the performance by Nate Patterson with his huge PR and school record in the men's triple jump with a distance of 15.17 meters. This distance has him currently number one in the country in this event. Teammate Olisa Obiefuna jumped 14.92 meters, which has him sitting number two in the country."
 
"In the men's high jump, freshman Isaiah Kyle had a very strong college debut with a second place finish and an NCAA qualifying height of 2.10 meters (6-10 3/4). Freshman Andrew Spence had a solid performance in the men's long jump with a new school record of 6.94 meters."
 
Women's jumps: "Victoria Wamer jumped a new school record of 11.40 meters in the women's triple jump. Dreyona Brown and Vanisha Wilshire also broke the event record during the competition."
 
General comments: "I'm happy with the overall performance of our team today. We still have a lot of work to do during the coming months, but today gave us a strong barometer of where we are as a program and also helped us realize the talent we have on the team."
"The next two months for us will be fun as we continue to develop and progress across the board. I'm excited for our student-athletes and the potential we have to do some special things going forward."
 
"It's always fun getting back into competition, but this time it was just a little more fun than usual with this staff and these student-athletes. I am proud to be associated with this great group."
 
 Whitney Smyre
 
Throws: "For the women, Makenna Wray set a WU women's shot put record, placing ninth in the JDL Fast Track College Kick-off Classic field. Hannah Hinson placed seventh in the weight throw, while Athanette Tucker achieved personal bests in both the shot put and the weight throw."
 
"On the men's side, Travis McGriff placed fifth in the shot put. Both JC Suddeth and Nate Hinderer achieved personal records in the weight throw and the shot put. Hinderer was ninth in the JDL Fast Track College Kick-off Classic weight throw competition."
 
Cole Henderson
 
Sprints: "There were fairly good performances across the board for our first indoor meet. On the women's side, Destiny Todd won her heat in the 400 meters. She ran a good race to kick it in for the win. Freshman Justice Reeves ran 8.07 for her 60 meter dash, which was the top time for all freshmen in the JDL Fast Track College Kick-off Classic meet. On the men's side, Juan Torre had the best 400 meters for Wingate with a time of 52.06.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,100 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, master's degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in pharmacy, physical therapy and education.
 
With a 15 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past nine years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 81 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 81 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 90 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.