The Briar Cliff track and field teams put together a solid first day at the Sioux City Relays Friday at Elwood Olsen Stadium. Isabel Sayler and Ben Jefferies blew away their competition with first place finishes in the triple jump and the 400-meter dash, respectively.
 
Sayler won the triple jump with her leap of 10.71 meters, winning by .41 meters over the second-place finisher. 
 
"Seeing Izzy winning the Sioux City Relays triple jump was a phenomenal experience for us," said head coach Scott Barnes. "Ben's 400 win and hitting the 'A' standard was great for his first outdoor 400 race"
 
In his first 400 of the outdoor season, Jefferies picked up right where he left off from the indoor season with a winning time of 47.33 seconds. His time hit the NAIA 'A' standard and is currently the sixth fastest in the NAIA. Jefferies has already hit the 'A' standard in the 200m.
 
Ryan Kotey also ran a solid race in the 400, placing third with a time of 49.79 seconds. Damond Anderson placed third in the triple jump with a leap of 12.66m, and was fourth in the high jump at 6'2 inches.  
 
"Another big story in the 400 was Ryan getting under 50 seconds for the first time in an open 400," noted Barnes. "Damond did really well in the high jump and triple jump, making the podium in both events!"
 
Paxon Fleming took third in the 400 hurdles with a time of 57.86 seconds and was fourth in the 110 hurdles at 15.70 seconds. Dominic Archer was seventh in the 100 with a time of 11.20 seconds. Fleming and Archer advance to the finals tomorrow in the 110 hurdles and 100, respectively.
 
"Rob also ran a great 800 today in the tough winds. Paxon had two good races and is back tomomrrow for the 110 hurdles, while Dom also is in the finals in the 100," said Barnes.
 
Osiel Ochoa took sixth in the 200, crossing the finish line in 23.62 seconds. Robert Amaro took 11th in the 800-meter, missing a top-eight finish by .56 seconds. Ramon Harkins was 11th in the 200 at 24.24 seconds. Lakey Martin's throw of 12.81m in the shot put was good for a 12th place finish.
 
Hope Wagner took 10th in the discus throw with a toss of 36.76 meters. Megan Lamparek set a new personal best in the discus at 31.45m.
 
"The day started off well with the throws," said Barnes. "Megan hit a new lifetime PR in the discus and Hope matched her PR in the same event. Lakey also had a good showing in the shot put."
 
Kiana Vereen ran a strong 200 race, placing sixth with a time of 27.75 seconds. Jasmine Joseph finished 13th in the 100 at 13.35 seconds, missing a top-8 finish by .26 seconds. 
 
Pluma Pross and Lexi Weber both set new PR's in the 800m. Pross ran her 400 in 1:07.99 seconds, while Weber finished in 1:15.24.
 
"It was a really good day overall, we took a huge step and got better. Everything we did today was either our best or right there," said Barnes.

The Chargers are back at Elwood Olsen Stadium tomorrow for the final day of the Sioux City Relays.