Peyton Blanding
Megan May

Women's Track & Field

Ferrante and Blanding Register Wins, Siders Climbs Charts in Weight Throw during Richard Drake Invitational on Sunday

Final Results

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- 
Daniel Ferrante and Peyton Blanding both posted victories for the Christopher Newport track & field teams, while Amir Siders continued to climb the program's all-time list in the weight throw as the Captains wrapped up the Richard Drake Invitational on Sunday at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.

Continuing to make his mark on the history books, Siders unloaded a 15.20-meter toss in the weight throw. That not only shattered his previous PR, but it also marked the fifth-longest heave in school history.

Along with Siders, Ferrante and Blanding also excelled on Sunday. Ferrante won the men's 800 in 1:57.53, which vaulted him to the top of the conference leaderboard this year. Meanwhile, Blanding took the crown in the women's pole vault after eclipsing 3.20 meters. That equaled the second-highest clearance in the conference this year, falling just short of her own 3.25-meter mark at last month's Vince Brown Invitational.

"We had 40 PRs today, so it was a good showing in our last full-team meet before conferences," said head coach Tyler Wingard. "We have a few more pieces to put in place over the next two weeks, and then we'll look forward to another big set of performances with the C2C's."

On Sunday, the Captains also threw down some impressive times in the sprints. Brandon Berry moved to first in the league in the men's 200 after posting a 23.00 clocking. He also teamed up with Brenton Duvall, Cooper Albright, and Perry Spring for a 3:27.85 showcase in the 4x400-relay, which also ranks first in the conference.

Meanwhile, on the women's side, Adrianna DeSantis set a new PR in the 400 after crossing the line in 59.58. With that performance, she became the first student-athlete from any school in the conference to break the one-minute mark in the event since 2019.

Among other top finishers for the women, Mae Savoie was third in the 800 (2:27.35), Maggie Ralston was fourth in the 3000 (10:55.28), and Eliza Dana was sixth in the mile (5:33.86). DeSantis also led all Division III competitors in the 60 (8.06) and 200 (26.91) while teaming up with Hannah Gentrup, Casey Yenyo, and Callie Pratt for a 4:32.02 mark in the 4x400-relay.

Headlining the field events on the women's side, Mazie Clark established a new indoor PR in the shot put after unleashing an 11.53-meter launch, which pushed her to first in the league this year. She also added a 12.67-meter distance in the weight throw. Meanwhile, Grace Damewood came in 10th in the long jump (4.83 meters) and 13th in the triple jump (9.70 meters), while Alyssa Roach placed 10th in the high jump (1.32 meters).

For the men, Luke Miller and John Vogel shined in a pair of distance events. Miller was the runner-up in the 3000 (8:53.61), and John Vogel was fourth in the mile (4:28.25). In field events, Logan Bishop topped 3.40 meters in the pole vault, which placed him fourth in the field. Additionally, CJ Reeders posted a distance of 6.19 meters in the long jump, Phillip Burrell added an 11.87-meter mark in the triple jump, and Tyler Palmer paced the squad with a 12.20-meter toss in the shot put.

Among other team-leaders, Perry Spring clocked in at 52.72 in the 400, Gustavo Leitao added a time of 9.56 in the 60-hurdles, and Gage Elliott finished the 60-dash in 7.45.

Christopher Newport will return to action on February 11 for the start of the VMI Indoor Classic in Lexington, Virginia.

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Players Mentioned

Cooper Albright

Cooper Albright

Distance
Junior
Brenton Duvall

Brenton Duvall

Distance
5' 9"
Senior
Daniel Ferrante

Daniel Ferrante

Distance
Sophomore
Gustavo Leitao

Gustavo Leitao

Sprints, Hurdles
6' 3"
Senior
Luke Miller

Luke Miller

Distance
Sophomore
Tyler Palmer

Tyler Palmer

Throws
6' 0"
Sophomore
CJ Reeders

CJ Reeders

Jumps
5' 8"
Junior
Amir Siders

Amir Siders

Throws
Senior
Perry Spring

Perry Spring

Sprints
5' 6"
Junior
Peyton Blanding

Peyton Blanding

Pole Vault
Senior

Players Mentioned

Cooper Albright

Cooper Albright

Junior
Distance
Brenton Duvall

Brenton Duvall

5' 9"
Senior
Distance
Daniel Ferrante

Daniel Ferrante

Sophomore
Distance
Gustavo Leitao

Gustavo Leitao

6' 3"
Senior
Sprints, Hurdles
Luke Miller

Luke Miller

Sophomore
Distance
Tyler Palmer

Tyler Palmer

6' 0"
Sophomore
Throws
CJ Reeders

CJ Reeders

5' 8"
Junior
Jumps
Amir Siders

Amir Siders

Senior
Throws
Perry Spring

Perry Spring

5' 6"
Junior
Sprints
Peyton Blanding

Peyton Blanding

Senior
Pole Vault