MOUNT BERRY, GEORGIA - Southwestern University Men's Track & Field made a massive leap on Saturday with five podium finishes and two event titles at the SAA Outdoor Championships. The Pirates ranked fifth among the stacked field with 65.5 points, jumping two spots on Saturday. 

The Pirates shinned in the prelims on day one, but totaled only 13 points on Friday. Southwestern totaled 52.5 points to jump into fifth as the Pirate sprinters and jumpers excelled. The squad received key podium points in the 100-Meter, 200-Meter, 400-Meter, 4x100 Relay, and High Jump events. 

Juniors Lukas Nowlin and Jalen Joseph captured event titles. Nowlin continues to prove he's one of the best High Jumpers in the nation, taking the crown on Saturday morning. The junior cleared the 2.01-Meter mark, becoming the event champion in both the Indoor and Outdoor seasons. Nowlin battled through adversity throughout ondoor season without very many competitions of training due to rain and injuries. However, Nowlin defies the odds once again with another title and 10 points for the squad.

Joseph was another star for the Pirates, winning the 200-Meter event with a time of 21.69. Joseph was lone Pirate sprinter with an event title, totaling 18 points on the weekend. He took down the school record in the prelims and won the finals by 0.23 seconds. The title could not have gone to a better individual who also brings the energy, along with putting in the work. 

NOTABLE PERFORMERS

• Aside from the two event champions, Southwestern had three other podium finishes with big point totals. 
• The 4x100 squad of freshman Andrew Puplampu, senior Sebastian Loder, senior Ethan Sledge, and Joseph placed second with a time of 41.87. 
• Eight points were added to the leaderboard as the team was only 0.01 seconds off their previous school record. 
• Loder also secured a podium finish in his final year with the Pirates. 
• The two-sport athlete placed third in the 400-Meter dash at 49.13. 
• Joseph finished with the most individual points for the team with a second place finish in the 100-Meter dash at 10.77. 
• The junior was only 0.04 seconds from the title, but still added eight pivotal points.
• Freshman Jalen White scored his first career outdoor conference points at sixth place in the 110-Meter Hurdles at 15.52. 
• Junior Sergio Cobos added four points in the Triple Jump event with a distance of 13.34 Meters. 

UP NEXT
Southwestern will continue to compete in last chance invitationals that will be released soon. Pay attention to southwesternpirates.com for further news.