UMO relay team, three individuals to compete at nationals

MOUNT OLIVE – The University of Mount Olive women’s track and field program qualified three individuals and the 4×100 relay team for the 2023 Division II Track and Field Championships on May 25-27 at the CSU Pueblo Thunderbowl in Pueblo, Colo.

Senior Jaylin Reeves will participate in the 100 meters while also competing as part of the relay team with freshman Channie Jefferson, senior Jaiden Moody and sophomore Jamesha Howell at the national meet. In her first appearance at the championship event, Jefferson will also compete in the 400-meter hurdles while senior Mary Brigid Keck returns in the hammer throw after garnering All-American status last year. The Trojans are one of only three schools in the Conference Carolinas to feature a women’s selection at the 2023 championships.

Reeves will be competing in multiple events for the first time in her career. She earned Conference Carolinas Track Athlete of the Year after winning the league title in the 100 and 200 meters. Reeves is seeded 22nd in the 100-meter dash after setting a time of 11.59 seconds in the conference championships at the end of April.

The Trojans will send the 4×100 relay team to the national meet with all four individuals making their first appearance at the championships. Sophomore Vinesha Briggs will also travel with the team as a reserve. The squad is seeded No. 13 after establishing a new conference and school record with an NCAA provisional mark of 45.83 seconds at the Trojan Relays in mid-April.

Jefferson is set to compete in the 400-meter hurdles after a record-breaking outdoor season in her first year with the program. She scored in four events at the league championship and claimed the conference crown in the 400m hurdles and 4×400 relay. Jefferson is seeded sixth in the event after eclipsing the league record with a time of 59.36 seconds in Myrtle Beach.

A 2022 All-American, Keck will be competing in the hammer throw for a second consecutive year. She was named the Conference Carolinas Field Athlete of the Year for a second straight year after earning the conference title in the hammer throw and shot put. Keck ranks No. 13 in the field of 20 competitors after hitting a distance of 58.08 meters in the Adidas Trojan Challenge.

— From University of Mount Olive Athletics