January 28, 2006
Hayes era opens for Methodist indoor track and field at Liberty Fast Times
Thornell places sixth in men’s high jump in first meet of 2006 indoor season

LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Matthew Hayes era began in earnest for the Methodist men’s and women’s indoor track and field programs as both teams competed in its first indoor meet of the 2006 at the Liberty Fast Times Invitational on Saturday. The opening meet under Hayes, who replaced Halcyon Blake as Methodist head coach a month ago, proved solid for Methodist.

Headlining the top finishes for Methodist was Pat Thornell, who excelled in the field events. He placed sixth in the men’s high jump with a height of 6-1.5 feet, and 15th in the men’s triple jump with a distance of 41-04.25 feet. Chardonnay Labbon placed 17th in the men’s long jump with a distance of 19-6.25 feet, while Todd Sackewitz placed 28th with a distance of 17-03.25 feet.

In the running events, Kawesi Darby placed 27th in the men’s 200-meter dash in 23.94 seconds, while Labbon placed 42nd in 24.8 seconds. In the men’s 400-meter dash, Sackewitz placed 42nd in 57 seconds, while Ryan Taylor finished 24th in the men’s 3,000-meter run in 10:35 minutes.

In the women’s events, Tia Imel placed 31st in the women’s 200-meter dash in 30.26 seconds.

The next Methodist meet is on Saturday in the Liberty Record Flash, again at Liberty.