WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The South Atlantic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships have started with a bang as Tobechukwu Nwokocha highlighted day one with a SAC Championship in the long jump, leaping to a meet record mark of 7.54m (24-09.00). 

"I thought we competed really hard today," said Director of Track & Field Bob Braman. "We had a ton of season bests and lifetime bests. We need to clean up our execution a bit and have a great day in the finals."

Breaking his own school record and taking eighth in the 5000m was Lewis Budgen, who finished with a time of 14:22.98. Havyn Spain was fantastic on the day, setting a new PR and moving to second all-time in the 200m with a time of 21.16 while also winning the prelims of the 400m with a time of 47.26. Antonyio Davis and Liam Sutton went 1-2 in the hurdles to advance as the top two times of the finals.

On the women's side Mackenzie Pringle ran a new PR of 8.69 in the 60m Hurdles to advance as the second seed while Jani Day PR of 56.00 in the 400m also was second. Harper Ramsdale's pole vault of 3.17m earned her fourth place in that event.

In total 12 Lenoir-Rhyne athletes advanced through prelims into Sunday's finals. 23 total Lenoir-Rhyne athletes will be competing tomorrow when including distance and field events that don't have prelims. 

Men Top Finishers/Advancers

• 60 Meter Hurdles
  • Antonyio Davis - 1st, 8.12
  • Liam Sutton - 2nd, 8.21
• 200 Meter Dash
  • Havyn Spain - 3rd, 21.16
• 400 Meters
  • Havyn Spain - 1st, 47.26
• 5000 Meters
  • Lewis Budgen - 8th, 14:22.98
  • Ugolin Anselm - 10th, 14:29.38
• Long Jump
  • Tobechukwu Nwokocha - 1st, 7.54m (24-09.00)
  • Gabriel Brown - 5th, 7.07m (23-02.50)

Women Top Finishers/Advancers

• 60 Meter Dash
  • Zanetta Udo-Obong - 5th, 7.62
  • Molly McGrath - 8th, 7.73
• 60 Meter Hurdles
  • Mackenzie Pringle - 2nd, 8.69
  • Sharonda Priester - 4th, 8.81
• 200 Meter Dash
  • Jani Day - 5th, 24.66
• 400 Meters
  • Jani Day - 2nd, 56.00
• 800 Meters
  • Olivia Overholt - 7th, 2:16.42
• Mile
  • Caitlyn Christie - 10th, 5:15.20
• Long Jump
  • Sofia Ulanday - 6th, 5.35m (17-06.75)
  • Arlie Priestley - 7th, 5.33m (17-06.00)
• Pole Vault
  • Harper Ramsdale - 4th, 3.17m (10-04.75)
• Patricija Nemanyte Pentathlon Events
  • Shot Put - 1st, 11.72m (38-05.5)
  • High Jump - 1st, 1.66m (5-05.25)
  • 60m Hurdles - 3rd, 9.05

Lenoir-Rhyne will be back at it tomorrow with the final day of the championships. Men's Shot put opens up the day's events at 9:00 a.m. while the first running event to take place will be the women's mile finals at 11:00 a.m.