CLEMSON, S.C. — The
Benedict College men's and women's indoor track and field teams opened their season on Friday at the Clemson Opener, and All-American
Zack Washington opened the season with a school record and won the long jump event.
Washington won the long jump with a mark of 7.54 meters (24 feet, 9 inches) to beat a field that included Division I competitors from Norfolk State, Florida A&M, Western Carolina, South Carolina State and Georgia Tech. His previous school record was 7.27 meters. Washington was the only Division II athlete to win an event in the meet.
Washington was not the only standout in the season opening meet. DeShaun Tucker set two personal records in the shot put and weight throw. He finished 14th overall in the shot put with a mark of 13.19 meters (43 feet, 3 ¼ inches), and 14th in the weight throw with a mark of 40 feet, 9 inches.
For the Lady Tigers,
Anaiya Houseal, the SIAC high jump champion, started her indoor season by clearing 1.56 meters (5 feet, 1 ¼ inches), to finish 11th.
Freshman sprinter Gabby Pinder started her Benedict career with two strong races. She ran a 7.78 in the 60-meter dash, and 26.45 in the 200-meter dash.
The track and field teams will next compete in the Gamecock Opener on Jan. 10 at the USC Indoor Track and Field Complex.
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.