Consistency and competing: NGU track and field’s record-breaking season
Ian Johnson, Staff Writer
Photo Courtesy of Iczuk Photography
Consistency and competing. Two simple words that describe the North Greenville University track and field teams. The Trailblazers concluded their season at the Conference Carolinas Championships on April 23-25 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
When asked about the team’s expectations for the conference championship, head coach Jarvis Robinson said, “Go compete. Let’s push away distractions for the three days we’re there and just focus on track and field and being the best that we can be.”
Robinson is in his first year as the head coach for the Trailblazers after joining the program in 2024 as an assistant coach. The Greenville native has coached high school for many years before making the jump to the collegiate level.
Since joining NGU, Robinson helped the women’s cross-country team win back-to-back conference championships. He was also a key part of the women’s track and field team reach second place in the conference championships in 2025.
The track and field season is split into two parts. The first half takes place indoors and the last half takes place outdoors.
The highlight of the indoor portion of the season was the third-place finish at the Conference Carolinas Indoor Championships by the women’s team.
The key difference between the two is the climate. Indoor track meets will have the same climate. Outdoor meets can change depending on the weather.
“It may rain one day, it may be real windy that can affect the throws or affect sprinters running into headwind,” said Robinson.
Despite the potential challenges, the Trailblazers have excelled throughout the four outdoor track and field Invitationals. While many athletes have done well, here are a few standout performances from the outdoor competitions.
Troy Cocco, freshman, had as close to a perfect season. In the javelin throw, he finished in first place in his last three competitions.
Senior Taylor Campbell finished first in the hammer throw in two competitions and finished third in another.
Tyshone Phillips, junior, made a big jump towards the final stretch of the season. In his most recent performances at the Asheville Bulldog Invite, he finished third in the 400-meter hurdles and fourth in 110 meters hurdles. Both finishes set a new personal best (PB).
Another athlete who has taken a big step this year is Ariana Lemieux. The walk-on freshman finished first in the 400-meter hurdles in two competitions and completed a PB in the other competition.
Robinson highlighted her work ethic, saying, “[She] has come in from day one and really put the work in, and you really can see the strides.”
Throughout the season, many school records have been broken. Most recently, junior, Riley Shope broke the Steeplechase record by 17 seconds, and freshman, Emery Lindsey broke the 800-meter record.
While track and field may seem as if it’s just running, there is a lot of work that goes into each event.
“I think a misconception [about track and field] is that anybody can do track,” said Robinson. “It’s not like you’re gonna come out there, and it’s gonna click for you.”
He explains that “it takes years and months of preparation to be able to run at a high [college] level.
For Robinson, consistency is key to succeeding at this sport.
“When I see athletes go out and they’re consistent, that means they’re paying attention to details and practice,” he said. “Once we stay consistent, those personal best will start coming [alongside] school records.”
Robinson said, “When I can look up and see athletes break a school record and see the joy they get, as a coach, that’s the ultimate success.”
The women’s team finished the season earning third place at the Conference Carolinas Championship, while the men’s team finished seventh overall.
