CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Mar. 22, 2025) - Jason Bowers' win in the men's 3000m and Deena Ludtke's 3000m steeple crown led ETSU at the Charlotte 49er classic this weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina, ETSU's first event of the 2025 outdoor season.

Bowers dominated the field with an 8:13.91, nearly 30 seconds clear of the rest of the field. He finished second the day before in the 1500m with a 3:47.73 and was the fastest collegiate runner in the field. Ludtke won the 3000m steeple with an 11:08.22 as the Bucs claimed the top three finishers in the event.

Junior Ethan Fulford came home fifth in the decathlon after posting personal bests in the shot put (11.23m), javelin (46.99m), and 1500m run (5:14.62) and posting the top pole vault mark in the event at 4.40m.

Ben Smith claimed podium honors in the long jump with a 7.16m mark, one of four jumpers in the field of 48 to clear seven meters. Freshman Jake Cannon finished fifth in the pole vault with a 4.60m mark, the best mark by a collegiate athlete in the event this weekend.

Sophomore Brent Bell set a new personal best in the shot put with a 15.98m toss, good for seventh out of 46 entries. Logan Wagner placed 12th with a 14.82m throw.

Three Bucs finished in the top ten in the men's 3000m steeple, with Nathan Hillis clocking in third with a 9:53.28 and Ben Kenner and Nolan Pedota coming home ninth and 10th.

In the relays, the men finished fourth with an 8:05.10 in the 4x800m. The women finished third in the 4x800m with a 9:42.75, sixth in the 4x400m relay with a 4:04.59, and seventh in the 4x100m relay with a time of 48.62 seconds.

In addition to Ludtke's win in the 3000m steeple, Camryn Johnson set a personal best with an 11:25.62 to finish second, and Ansley Archuleta finished third with an 11:47.24. Junior Sophie Beach took home fifth in the 10K run with a 37:24.12, and Bonita Gray finished eighth with a 37:44.44, both personal bests.

In the women's 200m, freshman Micailah Cook turned in a top-five finish with a 24.22 after finishing fourth in the 100m with a time of 11.81 seconds. Meg Lance earned a podium finish in the women's 800m with a 2:15.32, less than half a second off the winning pace.

Tya Blake continued her strong form with an 11.42m triple jump to come home fifth and a 5.54m long jump that landed her sixth in that event. SoCon Indoor Champion Lexi Carter finished 10th in the shot put with a 12.84m throw in her first outdoor event.

Both the men's and women's track teams will make the trip to Raleigh next weekend for the Raleigh Relays at NC State.

For more information on ETSU track and field, go to ETSUBucs.com.