MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- The Ferrum College men's and women's track and field teams turned in a strong showing at the 2026 Conference Carolinas Outdoor Championships, held Thursday through Saturday, April 23-25, at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium. The Panther performances were highlighted by  multiple scoring efforts across both the men's and women's squads.

THE BASICS
Coach Andre Kidd's teams closed out the year with impressive individual and group performances. Ferrum's women placed eighth in a field of 15 teams, while the Panther men finished 12th of 15 teams.

Jahmal Jones was second in the men's 100m (10.15) and 2nd in the men's 200m (21.01), with both marks ranking among the top times in Division II this season. He also posted the No. 5 time in Division II during the 100m prelims (10.27) and qualified for the 200m final with a 21.46. He also won the 60m title this year at the Conference Carolinas Indoor Championships. 

Lilly Bigger posted a second place finish in the women's javelin throw, as did Gracie Beane in the women's triple jump. Zenallah Hatcher-Simmons rounded out Ferrum's All-Conference performance with a third place finish in the women's shot put. She also made third team All-Conference earlier this year in the women's shot put at the Conference Carolinas Indoor Championships. 

Beane narrowly missed another trip to the podium with her fourth place finish in the high jump, while Jaiden Childress turned in a fifth place finish in the men's high jump. Also, the men's and women's 4x100 relay teams both competed well in earning fifth place finishes.

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS

• 2nd team: Jones men's 100m
• 2nd team: Jones men's 200m, Bigger women's javelin, Beane women's triple jump
• 3rd team: Hatcher-Simmons women's shot put

MEN'S HIGHLIGHTS

• Kalaib Gebrehaimanot advanced through the 110m hurdles prelims and posted a solid time in the 400m hurdles
• Deontae Lawson contributed in multiple events, including the 200m, 400m, and long jump
• Jaiden Childress recorded a top-five finish in the high jump (1.92m), scoring valuable points for Ferrum
• Kyle Holcomb led the Panthers in the hammer throw with a 10th-place finish (44.91m)
• Vladimir Joacin Jr. paced Ferrum in the shot put (13.32m) and competed in the discus
• The men's 4x100m relay team placed 5th (42.20), adding key team points with a strong effort

WOMEN'S HIGHLIGHTS

• Bigger's runner-up finish in the javelin (38.92m) was a mark that ranks among the top 100 in Division II
• Beane turned in an outstanding all-around performance, placing 2nd in the triple jump (11.34m), 4th in the high jump (1.62m), and adding points in the long jump
• Hatcher-Simmons led the throwers with a 3rd-place finish in the shot put (12.65m) and added a top-10 mark in the discus
• Zyreonia Patterson scored in the long jump and competed in both sprint events
• Dezyre Christian contributed in the sprints, jumps, and relays
• The women's 4x100m relay team placed 5th (49.84), while the 4x400m relay added a point with an 8th-place finish