SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Penn State Harrisburg's men's and women's track & field program opened the indoor portion of its 2018-19 campaign at Suquehanna's River Hawk Open on Friday night, Nov. 30. The Lions were led by strong efforts from Jalil Clayton, Sarah Lehman, Cameron Yon, Rae Rae Taylor, Alex White and Dominick Hogans.
Clayton was especially impressive on the men's side, as the senior posted a new program record thanks to a time of 8.18 in the 60m hurdles. His time currently ranks him among the very best in the nation in the event. He also helped lead the Blue & White's 4x400m relay team that consisted of himself, Kadeem Willis, Hogans and Mekael Kassu to victory thanks to a strong opening leg.
Lehman's sophomore season picked up where her stellar freshman campaign left off. She won the triple jump with a top leap of 11.28 meters and earned a runner-up finish in the long jump thanks to a top effort of 5.34 meters. She also took to the track and qualified for the finals of the 60m hurdles.
Yon came away with a second-place finish in the weight throw thanks to a top toss of 16.38 meters in his first action of the season, besting the third-place finisher from Stevenson by more than two meters. The senior followed it up by posting a fourth-place effort in the shot put with a top launch of 13.15 meters.
Taylor was victorious in the long jump, edging Lehman with a leap of 5.37 meters. The sophomore also earned a top-three finish in the triple jump thanks to a top effort of 10.87 meters. On the track, she qualified for the finals of the 60m dash with a prelim time of 8.24. She also took part in the 60m hurdle event.
White was the winner of the long jump event, with his best leap of 6.64 meters good enough to earn him the victory. The junior also turned in a solid showing in the high jump, with his top effort of 1.98 meters proving strong enough to clinch a runner-up finish.
Hogans had a promising start to his collegiate career, winning the 400m dash with an effort of 52.24 and coming home fifth in the 200m dash with a time of 23.95. The freshman was also part of Penn State Harrisburg's 4x400m relay-winning foursome.
Freshman Aiyala McPhee had a nice start to collegiate career, coming home third in both the 200m and 400m dashes. Jamilyn Nimo was the Lions' top finisher in the women's weight throw in seventh, while Rachale Hair came home ninth in the event. Nimo also earned a top-five finish in the shot put.
The Lions will get an extended break to enjoy the holiday season before returning to action at St. Thomas Aquinas' Spartan Invitational on Friday, Jan. 11.
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