Despite tough weather conditions forcing schedule changes throughout the day, Southern Miss Golden Eagles men’s track and field and the women’s squad still delivered a strong showing at Jaguar Track, combining for six first-place finishes across the meet.
The Golden Eagle women accounted for half of those victories, highlighted by standout performances on the track and in the field. Emme Bates controlled the women’s 800 meters from the start, finishing in 2:07.27 to lead a dominant Southern Miss group that also saw Olivia Smith and Addison Rainey place second and third. Rainey’s run marked a new personal best, while Alexane Hunte added depth with a fifth-place finish.
In the 400 meters, Addison McLaurin turned in one of her strongest performances of the season, clocking a 54.35 to secure the win. Teammate Jaellene Burgess followed closely behind, finishing runner-up. The women’s third victory came in the field, where Kaylee Spencer delivered a clutch final attempt in the triple jump, reaching 36-4 (11.07m) to take the top spot.
Southern Miss also picked up additional podium finishes on the women’s side, including Aryn Eady’s third-place throw in the discus and Alana Simon’s second-place clearance in the high jump.
The men’s team matched that momentum with three wins of their own. Conner Mozee led the discus field with a top throw of 174-10 (53.29m), while Chandler Taylor added a third-place finish in the same event. In the long jump, Isaiah Lowery recorded a personal-best leap of 22-10 1⁄2 (6.97m) to claim first, and Michael Kasemervisz secured another victory in the shot put with a mark of 51-5 (15.67m).
Several other Golden Eagles made their presence felt with strong finishes. Nikoby Johnson sprinted to a personal-best 10.39 in the 100 meters, while Quamarion Oatis, Maxiumus Littleton, Ryan DeBarber and Elijah Kellum each added top-three placements in their respective events.
Southern Miss will now shift its focus to the postseason, returning to Mobile for the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship, set to begin May 14 and run through May 16.
