SHAWNEE, Okla. (March 15, 2018) – High jumper Justin Stewart and triple jumper Austin Davis led Oklahoma Christian with event runner-up finishes on Thursday afternoon as the Eagles opened the outdoor track and field season at the Oklahoma Baptist Early Outdoor Invitational.

Stewart, who posted a NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark last year in the high jump, started his 2018 campaign with a jump of 6 feet, 6¼ inches (1.99 meters), just two inches below the current provisional standard. He jumped into a steady south wind that blew between 20 and 40 mph all afternoon.

With the wind at his back, Davis, a junior, unleashed his best career triple jump of 44 feet, 9¾ inches (13.66 meters).

Grant Smith was OC's top sprinter, placing fourth (among 14) in the 100 meters in 10.76 seconds and fifth (among 25) in the 200 meters in 22.78 seconds.

Lawson Meredith led a five-man OC contingent in the 800 meters, placing fourth in 2:01.60, and senior Sawyer Pehkonen – running at that distance for the first time at OC – was ninth in 2:05.04, winning his heat.

With star hurdler Landon Huslig sitting out the meet, freshman Javier Hernandez made a strong debut in the 400-meter hurdles, placing third in 1:00.28.

The Eagles won't compete again until the weekend of March 30-31, either in another meet at Oklahoma Baptist or in the Texas Relays in Austin.