Davidson College

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Junior Ryan Hopkins (10,000m) and freshman Stewart Dalton (long jump) both scored runner-up finishes to lead Davidson men's track and field to a fourth-place standing after the first day of competition Friday at the 2011 Southern Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.

Chattanooga's Chris Berry edged Hopkins in the 10,000-meter run by less than a half-second in a remarkably close race. Berry crossed the line in 30 minutes 42.38 seconds, while Hopkins followed in 30:42.77. The runner-up finish in the 10K at the SoCon Championships was Hopkins' second consecutive.

Sophomore Demetrios Pagonis also scored in the event, placing sixth in a personal-best 30:58.43. Both Hopkins' and Pagonis' times rank among the top-10 best in Davidson history.

Dalton reached the podium in his first outdoor SoCon meet, posting a career-best leap of 22-5 ¼ (6.84m). Lawren Willard from Western Carolina took first place with a leap of 23-5 1/2 (7.15m).

Two scored for Davidson in the 3000-meter steeplechase as Ian Tupper smashed the Davidson school record with a time of 9:14.39 to place fourth. Sophomore Vincent Weir also broke the old Wildcat record of 9:26.5 to place eighth in 9:22.38. Freshman Grayam Sailor-Tynes was ninth in 9:26.72.

Freshman Andrew Lantz placed fourth in the 800-meter run preliminaries in 1:54.68 to lead the Wildcats' middle distance effort. He was the indoor champion in the event this past March.

In Davidson's top sprint performance of the day, senior JinHan Song placed sixth in the 400-meter dash preliminaries in 50.00 seconds to advance to Sunday's finals in the event.

He also completed the 200-meter dash in 22.51, but was unable to advance. Senior Bryce Jones led Davidson in the 100-meter dash in 11.20 seconds, but did not advance to the finals.

Junior Taylor Martin secured the final preliminary qualifying spot in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 55.71 seconds, which tied Appalachian State's Trey Jones.

The meet will conclude Saturday with events beginning at 9:30 a.m. CT.

Men's Team Results – Day 1
1. Samford - 82.5 points
2. Appalachian State - 74
3. Western Carolina - 42.5
4. Davidson - 26
5. Chattanooga - 16
5. The Citadel - 16
7. Wofford - 10
8. Furman - 5

Men's Track & Field Scores Two Second-Place Finishes on Day 1 Of SoCon Championships