BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Senior jumper Kristopher Joint and sophomore pole vaulter Ryan Karnopp of the Moravian College men's indoor track & field team each came away with a first-place finish at the John Covert Classic hosted by Lehigh University on Saturday afternoon.
Joint tied his season-high mark of 14.82 meters (48' 7.50") in the triple jump to win the event at Lehigh by 3' 8.5" over the second-place finisher. Joint's mark continues to lead the NCAA Division III in the event, according to the Track & Field Results Reporting System.
Joint also qualified for the ECAC meet in a second event on Saturday. His leap of 6.85 meters (22' 5.75") was good for second place at Lehigh and an automatic big to the ECAC Championships in mid-March.
"It feels awesome," Joint said. "I put so much time into it, but then again, you can never be content as an athlete knowing there's always more work to do. I have a lot more in me, but I also have to stay fresh."
Karnopp qualified for ECAC's in the pole vault last weekend at the Tiger Open hosted by Princeton University, and followed that up with a first-place finish at the John Covert Classic with a mark of 4.57 meters (15').
For the sophomore vaulter, the first place finish is rewarding, but the competition against himself is frequently the most heated.
"I felt pretty good today," Karnopp said. "I came close to a vault of 15-9 last week after getting 15-3, so I went big today. I was so close, but I came down on the bar. First place is a nice thing to see, but beating my old marks is always the best feeling. It's more of a victory than a first place finish."
Despite not beating his season-best, Karnopp felt a difference in his game today after qualifying for ECAC's at Princeton last weekend.
"Our coaches all think I have a shot at making nationals," Karnopp said. "Making ECAC's at Princeton helped take some of the pressure off and helped me relax. That always helps. I would like to continue jumping with a clear mind so it feels like I'm doing my job a little easier."
Freshman Kahron Walker joins the growing list of Moravian's ECAC qualifiers after a 1.95-meter leap in the high jump, good for a third-place tie at Lehigh.
Senior sprinter Yacine Zerdoum missed joining his teammates at the ECAC Championships by 0.11 seconds. He finished third in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.11 seconds. Sophomores Gavin Bailey and Tyler Dwyer finished sixth and eighth in the event, respectively.
The Greyhounds had a solid showing in the 60-meter dash with three top 10 finishers. Sophomore Albert Myers paced the group with a third-place finish in 7.21 seconds. Freshmen Austin Gardener and Matt Barnett finished back-to-back in fifth and sixth.
Freshman Cory Taggert scored a third-place finish in the 800-meter run with his season-best time of 1:59.65, just over a second away from an ECAC-qualifying mark.
Gardener picked up his second top five finish of the day with a third-place time of 23.64 seconds in the 200-meter dash. Freshman Jamil Poole was ninth in 24.27 seconds.
The Greyhound throwing contingent dominated the top 10 of the weight throw. Senior Timothy Lorah placed third with a toss of 13.92 meters (45' 8"), while freshman Greg Cahill came in fifth with the best mark of his rookie career, 13.85 meters (45' 5.75"). Junior Jeffrey Gallagher finished in sixth, while junior Parker Munson and freshman Matt Jones were seventh and ninth, respectively.
Junior Alec Duncan placed seventh in the one-mile run with a time of 4:36.58.
Senior Craig Arner notched a career-best in the 60-meter hurdles with a ninth-place finish of 9.19 seconds at Lehigh.
Munson and senior Frank Yannotta rounded out Moravian's top 10 finishes at Lehigh in the shot put. Yannotta finished eighth with a toss of 13.25 meters (43' 5.75"), while Munson placed 10th with his throw of 13.08 meters (42' 11").
