Johnson sets school record, Cloud wins shot put

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Junior Kamden Johnson set a school record in the long jump and sophomore Nicholas Cloud claimed a victory in the shot put on the opening day of the South Carolina Invitational on Feb. 3.

Johnson shattered the UMO record in the long jump with a second-place finish while reaching an NCAA provisional mark on a distance of 23 feet, nine inches on his second attempt. The previous school record was held by Eian Hines at 7.23 meters, which was set in 2018. A native of Rocky Mount, Johnson set a personal best in the event and now holds the top mark in the long jump in the conference this season.

Cloud registered a massive win in the shot put with a personal record of 15.55 meters (51-0.25 feet), defeating several Division I throwers. He moves into second all-time in school history and improved his conference qualifying standard to remain among the top three in the league.

In the weight throw, the Trojans secured a pair of podium finishes and improved their league standards. Senior Joshua Faison placed second overall with a personal best distance of 53 feet, six inches on his fourth toss. He advances on the conference qualifying list to second and set the fifth-best mark in program history. Fellow senior Dorian Tolbert also delivered a personal best in the event with a mark of 52 feet, four inches to finish third in the weight throw. His distance keeps him among the top five in the Conference Carolinas this year and ranks seventh all-time at UMO.

Sophomore Riley Willcox produced a league standard in the mile with a time of 4 minutes, 28.15 seconds, which ranks sixth in the conference this year. Senior Jordan Martin set a season-best mark in the 60-meter hurdles after crossing the line in 8.51 seconds to improve to the top five in the league in the event.

— From University of Mount Olive Athletics