St. Louis, Mo. — The Central Methodist Track and Field program turned in a strong weekend of competition at the WashU Distance Carnival on Thursday and the WashU Invite on Friday and Saturday, highlighted by several record-breaking performances and multiple top finishes.

At Thursday's Distance Carnival, Corlando Chambers delivered a standout performance in the men's 800 meters, clocking a time of 1:49.86. The mark broke a 14 year old program record for the Eagles and earned him a spot at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships in May. Chamber's performance set the tone for a productive meet on the men's side.

Wilton George captured the men's 110-meter hurdles title in 14.69 while also placing fourth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.68. 

Freshman Isaac Lawson continued his breakout season, finishing second in the 200 meters with a personal-best and record breaking time of 21.26 seconds. Lawson also contributed to the winning 4x400-meter relay team, teaming up with Logan Bass, Chambers, and Tyrone Summerall to clock a season-best 3:12.45, set a new school record, and secure their spot at outdoor nationals. 

Summerall added an individual highlight, placing third in the 400 meters in 48.82, while Bass took second in the 400-meter hurdles with a personal-best 53.42. Bass' time matched the school record, originally set in 2015, and qualified him for the national championships. 

In the field events, Austin Foye led the way with a runner-up finish in the discus (41.36m) and added a fourth-place showing in the shot put. Wyatt Smith also had a strong meet, placing third in the shot put (13.93m) and eighth in the hammer throw.

On the women's side, the Eagles dominated the 200 meters, claiming three of the top four spots. Freshman Akeelah Knox led the charge with a first-place, personal-best time of 24.29. Bailey Arceneaux (third, 24.49) and Maria Sahagun (fourth, 24.65) also recorded personal bests, while senior Zakiya Porter added a seventh-place finish.

Knox punched her ticket to nationals with her 200 meter time. 

The second-place 4x400-meter relay team of Bailey Arceneaux (3:48.99), alongside Aroa Carballo, Diane Ondobo and Allena Rowland. The quartet met the A standard for national championship qualification. 

The Eagles added another strong relay performance with their B team finishing fourth (3:51.55).

Central also showed exceptional depth in the 100-meter hurdles, placing five athletes in the top eight. Zaria Jones led the group with a third-place finish in 14.62, followed closely by Knox (fifth), Haley Bellamy (sixth), Shannon O'Neil (seventh, personal best), and Hannah Reed (eighth).

O'Neil returned to post a runner-up finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a personal-best 1:00.30, setting a new school record and punching her ticket to nationals. Aroa Carballo (fourth - 1:02.36) and Bellamy (fifth-1:02.78) also secured their tickets to nationals in the 400m hurdles. 

In the 400 meters, Allena Rowland turned in a strong performance with a second-place, personal-best time of 55.30, qualifying her for nationals. Freshman Deborah Martinez also impressed with a fifth-place, personal-best finish.

Central returns home to host the highly-touted CMU Invite April 2-3 at Davis Field and Hairston Track.

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