SEWANEE, Tenn. -- Ben Mellott set a program record in the 3,000-meter event and the Covenant track and field teams opened the indoor season on Saturday at the Sewanee Indoor Invitational.

No team scores were tallied, but the Covenant teams fared well in the season opener.

Mellott bested the program record in the 3,000-meter event as he took first place with a time of 9:16.84, while Josiah Mellott was second in the event at 9:24.25. 

The Covenant men had two other first-place finishes in the meet. Benjamin Jones took first in the mile event with his mark of 4:45.16 with Nate Moore coming in second at 4:54.48. In the 800-meter, Seth Bergeron took his first career win as he finished in 2:02.59, the second-fastest time in program history.

Noah Norman had a runner-up finish in the 400-meter at 54.62 and RJ Bascom followed in third at 54.93. Josh Leak had a time of 24.67 in the 200-meter that was good for fifth overall. The 4x400 team of Leak, Bergeron, Santos Cruz, and Moore placed second at 3:43.42.

The women's team tallied five first-place finishes. Maggie Henry earned the top spot in the mile as she finished in 5:46.63. In the 800-meter, S.K. Lipperd started off her track season with a first-place finish of 2:29.19. In the 3,000-meter, Lydia Moore topped the competition with her time of 12:35.63.

The women's 4x400 team of Elysse Carrillo, Henry, Anna Baker, and Lipperd came in first with the second-fastest time in program history at 4:26.17. Emma Christensen made her debut with a time of 7.88 in the finals of the 55-meter event to place fourth, while Daehla Smith was fifth at 8.14.

It was also a day of firsts in indoor track and field for the women. Baker became the first women's athlete to compete in the 55-meter hurdles as she placed second at 10.38. Sarah Holler took first in the pole vault with a mark of 2.61 meters in the debut in the event for a Covenant competitor. Jae Woods was second in the shot put at 9.22 meters, while Maddie Mitchell was third at 9.21 meters.

UP NEXT

Covenant will compete at the Atlantic Independent Championships in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Feb. 28.

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