HARRISONBURG, Va. – Day two of the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships saw six Bobcats – Easton Hammond (decathlon), Micheal Hermes (decathlon), Melanie Duron (women's shot put), Sophia Haberer (women's shot put) and Chris Preddie (men's long jump) – earn podium finishes in their respective events.

Hammond earned his first SBC gold medal in the decathlon after totaling 7,131 points across the 10 events. He became the first TXST athlete since Ben Collerton in 2019 to win the event.

His counterpart in the event, Hermes, placed second overall and recorded a new PR of 6,944 points. Between the two athletes, the men's team earned 18 points in total.

On the women's side in the shot put, Duron won her second consecutive outdoor title in the event and recorded a new PR of 17.26 meters to win the event. She became the only TXST athlete to ever win the shot put in back-to-back seasons.

Finishing third in the event was fellow junior Haberer, who recorded a throw of 15.22 meters to earn the Bobcats seven additional points in the event.

The final gold medal on the day came from the men's long jump, where Preddie recorded a jump of 7.85 meters to win the event for the third season in a row. He joins Gordon McKee (1988-90) as the only TXST long jumpers to win the event at conference three consecutive years in a row.

Heading into the final day of competition tomorrow, the TXST women's team leads the race for the team championship with a total of 60 points. The women overtook the lead from South Alabama (52 points) and have a 10-point lead on Arkansas State (50).

On the men's side, the Bobcats sit in fourth place with a total of 53 points. Despite being in fourth going into the last day of competition, the Bobcats are only four points behind Arkansas State (57 points), who sits in first place overall. Also ahead of the Bobcats are App State and South Alabama, who are tied for second with 55 points.

The final day of the Sun Belt Outdoor Track and Field Championships begins tomorrow at 11 a.m. CT, with the women's discus and the men's triple jump.

2025 SBC Outdoor T&F Standings (Day 2)

Women's Team Scores:

1. Texas State – 60

2. South Alabama – 52

3. Arkansas State – 50

4. Louisiana – 39

5. App State – 22

6. Georgia Southern – 19

7. Coastal Carolina – 16

8. Southern Miss – 16

9. Troy – 13

10. ULM – 10

Men's Team Scores

1. Arkansas State – 57

2. App State – 55

3. South Alabama – 55

4. Texas State – 53

5. Louisiana – 27

6. ULM – 20

7. Coastal Carolina – 17

8. Southern Miss – 16

9. Troy – 10

10. Marshall – 2