TAMPA, Fla. – The Flagler College men’s track and field team began a new chapter in program history Friday evening when they competed in the first outdoor meet in program history, running the Tampa Distance Classic, hosted by the University of Tampa at Peppin Stadium.

The Saints competed in three events, the 800m, 1500m and 5000m with three athletes from Clay County; Joel Nesi of Ridgeview, Evan Fuller of Fleming Island and A’Jani Stokes of Oakleaf high schools.

The 800m was highlighted by Alex Bagby, who came in eighth with a time of 2:00.07. Tyrel Emig was the next Saint to finish, coming in 19th with a final mark of 2:07.46. Chris McGuffin was right behind him, coming in 21st with a time of 2:10.33. Anthony Whelan came in 23rd with a mark of 2:13.03.

In the 1500m, it was Bagby again leading the way, coming in fourth with a mark of 4:12.55. McGuffin broke into the top-10, taking home 10th place with a time of 4:14.72, while Whelan posted a time of 4:26.82.

In the 5000m, three Saints recorded top-20 finishes. Marcus Graham notched sixth while posting a time of 14:53.25. Following Graham was Joel Nesi, who came in 13th with a final time of 15:02.90 (best of 16:29 in high school at Ridgeview) as Christian Fernandez was 21st with a time of 15:16.26. Jon Eide was 25th at 15:28.20 and Francisco Ramirez was right behind him with a final time of 15:28.94.

Asad Bashir finished with a time of 15:36.42, while Evan Fuller posted a 15:44.85 (Best of 16:24 in high school). Joshua Brett recorded a new personal record in the event, finishing with a 15:57.63 mark. The other Saints to run in the 5000m were, Ethan Tank, Gavin Ross, Matt Lyons, A’Jani Stokes, Andrew Caruana, Robert Stiff, Michael Hayeck and Luke Scheid.

The Saints continue their outdoor season on March 18-19 at the Black and Gold Invitational, hosted by the University of Central Florida.