Track & Field Shatters Multiple School Records to Begin Season at Liberty Kickoff

LYNCHBURG, Va. – The only thing that might've slowed down the Radford men's and women's track & field programs was the delay to begin day two of action, after several inches of snow fell across Virginia last night. Once the action began, the Highlanders broke a pair of school records and performed extremely well across the board to begin the indoor track & field season.

"It's an incredible start to the season with so much more in the tank," said Director of Track & Field Shelli Sayers. "Two school records this early is special. Overall, this is a special group of women on the mission. For the men, it was great to have them travel with us and marks count toward the conference rankings and records. Exciting day for the men."

THE BASICS
Results: N/A (No Team Score)
Meet: Liberty Kickoff
Location: Liberty Indoor Track Complex (Lynchburg, Va.)

NOTABLES

Sophomore Jeylah Hamrick destroyed Radford's 500-meter dash record by nearly four seconds. Her time of 1:13.23 also is the second-fastest by a Big South runner. Hamrick finished third overall in the event. Mattie Flores' time of 1:16.96 in the 500 meters would've been the school record, as she'll settle for second on the all-time list. Kandace McIvor also set the fifth-best time in Radford history in the event.
Sophomore Makayla Nelson broke the school record in the high jump, winning the competition with a mark of 1.71 meters (5'7.25"). It is tied for the 10^th best in Big South history.
To end Friday, the women's 4x400-meter relay team of Jaelynn Joiner, Raichelle Cornelius, Hamrick, Flores, took home the top spot. Their time of 3:49.60 was the second-best time in Radford history. Joining them on the podium in third was the relay team of Jaslyne Robinson, Jordan Jackson, Grace Onwi, and McIvor, with a time of 3:56.70.
On Thursday, Jaelynn Joiner etched her name in second on the Radford all-time long jump list with a leap of 5.90 meters (19' 4.5"). The result was good enough for fourth overall and is in the top 10 on the all-time Big South leaderboard, in eighth. Leah Moye also reached the top 10 all-time performance list in the long jump at ninth with a jump of 5.42 meters (17' 9.25").
A host of Highlanders put themselves in the 300-meter dash all-time performance list. Cornelius set a new personal record with a 40.57, moving her up to third in the Radford record book. Also joining her on the Radford all-time top 10 was Jordan Jackson (5^th, 40.97), Joiner (6^th, 40.98), and Onwi (7^th, 41.11).
Also cracking the Radford women's indoor all-time top 10 performance list were Robinson in the 60-meter hurdles (8^th, 8.88 seconds, 6^th in event), Reese Natysin in the 1000-meter run (8^th, 3:09.18), and Leah Moye in the triple jump (10^th, 10.95 meters, 7^th in event).
Sophie Magson narrowly missed her personal best in the 3000-meter run, placing fourth overall with a time of 9:56.82.
Cora Gentzel placed second and Allison Nelson finished fourth in the women's one mile run finals.
The men's track and field team had several outstanding performances in their return as a team. Charlie Dance led the charge, finishing third in the 3000-meter run with a time of 8:29.50. The mark puts Dance in fourth on the all-time performance list. Mason Erchull (6^th, 8:55.17) and Jensen McCutcheon (7^th, 9:01.82) join Dance on the Radford all-time list in the event.
Quinlan Beegle placed 10^th in the one-mile race. His time of 4:26.19 is good enough for eighth on the Radford all-time list. Spencer Thacker (9^th) and Liam McDonald (10^th) also reach the top 10 for Radford runners in the indoor one mile.
Ryan Connelly's time of 2:49.17 in the 1000-meter run puts him at 10^th on the Radford all-time performance list.
Hayat Khan placed eighth in the 800-meter run.

UP NEXT
Radford returns to action after the holiday break, where they'll compete in the new indoor track and field facility at the Tryon International Equestrian Center and Resort in Mill Spring, N.C., from January 16-17, 2026.

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Players Mentioned

Raichelle Cornelius: Sprints; Senior

Mattie Flores: Sprints/Hurdles; Sophomore

Jeylah Hamrick: Sprints; Sophomore

Jordan Jackson: Sprints/Relays; Senior

Sophie Magson: Distance; Senior

Kandace McIvor: Multi; Senior

Leah Moye: Hurdles/Jumps; Sophomore

Makayla Nelson: Jumps/Sprints; Sophomore

Jaslyne Robinson: Sprints/Hurdles; Senior

Cora Gentzel: Distance; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Raichelle Cornelius
: Senior
: Sprints

Mattie Flores
: Sophomore
: Sprints/Hurdles

Jeylah Hamrick
: Sophomore
: Sprints

Jordan Jackson
: Senior
: Sprints/Relays

Sophie Magson
: Senior
: Distance

Kandace McIvor
: Senior
: Multi

Leah Moye
: Sophomore
: Hurdles/Jumps

Makayla Nelson
: Sophomore
: Jumps/Sprints

Jaslyne Robinson
: Senior
: Sprints/Hurdles

Cora Gentzel
: Freshman
: Distance