Trojan Sprinters Race Past Field at John McDonnell Invitational

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Little Rock sprinters TaVieon Neal and Troy McKnight laid claim to the title of the two fastest sprinters in Arkansas as the duo recorded a 1-2 finish in the 100m dash at the John McDonnell Invitational in Fayetteville on Friday.
 
Neal ran 10.26 to grab gold while McKnight claimed silver with a time of 10.32 as the duo recorded the fastest 100m dash times recorded by any sprinter in the state this year. Both sprinters are now in the top 28 in the NCAA West Prelims Performance List with Neal's 10.26 time ranking as the third-fastest in school history while McKnight's mark ties for the fifth-fastest.
 
The duo were nearly 0.2 seconds faster than the rest of the field in a meet filled with athletes from Arkansas, Kansas, Kansas City and several others. Both times are the fastest 100m dash times posted by an Ohio Valley Conference sprinter in more than a decade. Following the Trojan tandem was Cogan DeRousselle, who ran 10.58 to finish fifth.
 
Andrew Payton continued his tear through the season, posting the fourth-fastest 800m time in school history as he raced to a 1:41.45 mark in the 800m to place sixth. That capped an impressive day for Little Rock's Team in the longer distances as Spencer Cardinal's 3K time of 8:37.08 garnered him bronze and registered the fourth-fastest time in school history while Josh Beam's time of 8:44.39 ranks seventh in school history. Both runners posted top-10 finishes Friday with Cardinal claiming bronze and Beam placing sixth.
 
On the women's size, Lindsey Hutcheson also received bronze after running 11:30.81 in the 3,000m steeplechase. Little Rock's 4x100m relay team of Gabby Ayiteyfio, Landri Schreier, Takia Palmer and Maliyah Holland clocked the ninth-fastest time in school history as they raced to a fourth-place finish, running 46.29.
 
The Trojan women were also impressive in the field as Janae Largins claimed bronze in the shot put. Her throw of 44-8.25 (13.62m) ranks fourth in school history and is the second-longest throw in the OVC this season. Aaliyah Mathis followed in fourth, throwing 43-7.75 (13.30m) while in the discus, Mathis' mark of 146-4 (44.60m) secured bronze while Alison Stephens finished fourth with a throw of 146-4 (44.60m). Allison Stigarll posted the fourth-best throw in school history as she finished sixth with a mark of 142-8 (43.49m).
 
The Trojans will divide and conquer next weekend, competing at both the Memphis Invitational in Tennessee and at the East Coast Relays in Jacksonville, Florida on Apr. 28-29.
 
For the latest information on Little Rock Track & Field, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockTFXC on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
Get the latest Trojan news – including the weekly Trojan Report – delivered to you direct to your inbox by signing up for Little Rock Trojan E-News here.
 
#LittleRocksTeam