JACKSON, Miss. - The Belhaven Track & Field program kicked off the 2023 Collegiate Conference of the South Outdoor Championships on a strong note Thursday as they took top spot in three events and racked up a number of other scoring finishes. After the first day Belhaven sits 3rd among Women's Programs and 4th among Men's Programs in the overall Conference Championship standings. 

Jelecia Brown led the way for the Women in throwing events as she took home the CCS title in the Women's Hammer Throw with a distance of 40.98 meters. The Women's Hammer proved to be a strong event for Belhaven as Brown was joined by Desire Tackett (4th) and Taylor Savage (7th) in recording finishes that landed the Blazers points in the team standings.

Karime Coronado was the first Belhaven athlete to grab an individual championship on the day as she took top spot in the Women's Long Jump. Coronado posted a distance of 5.00 meters and secured an important 10 points for the Blazers overall score.

On the Men's side of the action, Benjamin Adams earned a conference championship in the Men's Javelin. Adams finished with a distance of 48.80 meters outpacing the next closest non-Belhaven athlete by nearly 10 meters. Adams' has now won four conference championships in the Men's Javelin after winning three in the American Southwest Conference (2019, 2021 and 2022) prior to Belhaven joining the CCS. Roderick Gordon made it a 1-2 finish for the Blazers in the event with his throw of 42.72 meters. 

While many of the field events were decided on the first day of the championships, Thursday also featured preliminary races for many of the track events.

PRELIM QUALIFYING TIMES

Women's 100 Meters

Kimona Haynes - 1st
Ashaunti Barnes - 3rd
Anneshia Greer - 4th

Women's 200 Meters

Kimona Haynes - 2nd
Ashaunti Barnes - 3rd
Anneshia Greer - 4th
Maurissa Winford - 8th 

Women's 400 Meters

Kimona Haynes - 2nd
Ashaunti Barnes - 3rd
Maurissa Winford - 4th

Men's 100 Meters

Kelsey Singleton - 2nd
William Anderson 4th

Men's 200 Meters

Kelsey Singleton - 1st
William Anderson - 5th 

Men's 400 Meters

Tubyron Harris - 6th

Men's 800 Meters

Ian Neff - 7th
Andrew Duckworth - 8th

Action on the final day of the CCS Outdoor Track & Field Championships kicks off at 11:00 AM with the Discus, Pole Vault, Shot Put and Triple Jump before the track events begin at 12:00 PM. All events will take place on the campus of Belhaven University in Jackson, MS.

To view the CCS Track & Field Championships webpage click here. 

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