Trevecca’s track and field teams start the season with record breaking stats, debut in Gulf South Conference

By Natalia Bowles

Staff Writer

The Trevecca track teams on Jan. 11 kicked off their 2025 indoor season at the Vanderbilt Commodore Challenge in Nashville, featuring 17 schools, including NCAA Division I programs such as Indiana, Ole Miss, and Vanderbilt.

“This is the third or fourth year in a row that the team has been bigger than ever Trevecca’s track and field teams start the season with record breaking stats, debut in Gulf South Conference before in Trevecca history. It’s exciting to see the program grow like this,” said Austin Selby, head coach.

Facing difficult competition, the Trojans set four new school records, 2 for women’s track and 2 for men’s:

Jamelia Stovall: Ran the 60-meter dash in 8.45 seconds while placing 29th, breaking a record that had stood since 2016 She later improved her own record to 8.44 at the Ramapo College Opener in New York City.

Ava Skaggs: Set a new school record inthe 300-meter dash, finishing in 45.66 seconds and in 21st place.

Jadon Hickman: Clocked 9.21 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles and placing 10th, breaking the previous record of 9.44.

Men’s 4×400-meter relay: The team of Dayton Floyd, Lucas Baggott, Isaac Temko, and Julius Turnipseed IV set a new indoor program record with a time of 3:19.02, placing 7th.

“We’re really excited about Turnipseed. He comes in with 400-meter times better than anything we’ve done here before and is definitely the fastest freshman we’ve had at that distance,” said Selby. “Josh Novotny and several other distance freshmen, like Caleb (Hinson) and Moritz (Freyer), will also contribute.”

The women’s team is also off a strong start, Selby said.

“I am looking forward to just being able to train with my team and become stronger together and race together and compete against other schools together and push each other through the finish line and just be there as not only a team, but a family,” said Remmy Arney.

“On the women’s side, we’re looking forward to seeing what Remmy Arney can do. She was a late addition to the program, but we’re excited to have her,” Selby said. “Of course, Jamelia Stovall has already broken the 60-meter school record, so we’re eager to see what more she can accomplish.”

This season also marks Trevecca’s debut in the Gulf South Conference, introducing a fresh level of competition for the Trojans. Selby, now in his 12th season as head coach, has earned Great Midwest Coach of the Year honors in the past and has positioned the Trojans for continued growth and success.

“We want to make a big impact in the Gulf South,” Selby said. “Moving from the Great Midwest Conference, we want to translate our performances and be competitive in one of the best conferences in Division II. Our focus is on the indoor and outdoor conference meets, making sure we have people scoring points.”

Looking ahead, the Trojans will compete in the Jud Logan Invitational on Feb. 7-8 in Ashland, Ohio.