MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (May 16, 2016) – Seven members of the FIU track and field team claimed eight medals and set four school records during this year's Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
 
Redshirt junior Alton Eliphar earned a pair of second-place finishes in both the 100- and 200-meter dash. The Palm Bay, Florida, product ran a 10.46 in the 100-meter dash and registered a school-record 20.71 in the 200-meter dash. Eliphar's time in the 200 ranks No. 44 in the nation.
 
Senior Marcus Ghent added a couple of bronze medals with a mark of 7.71 meters in the long jump and a result of 15.62 meters in the triple jump. The Cheverly, Maryland, native's result of 7.71 in the long jump places Ghent No. 34 in the nation, while his 15.62 in the triple jump set an FIU school record as the No. 51^st-best mark in the nation.
 
In the decathlon, junior Pablo Espitia set the school record with a score of 6,457 to finish fourth in the year's championships.
 
Freshman Clarissa Cutliff set the school record in the high jump with a personal-record mark of 1.81 meters. Her result is the 15^th-best in the nation as the Orlando, Florida, product went on the win the gold.
 
The Panthers took first and second in the women's discuss as senior Miriam Pierre claimed the top spot with a mark of 47.24 meters followed closely by freshman Terrisa Russell, who posted a 47.06. Both marks were PRs for the two.
 
Senior Tiffani Hernandez claimed the third gold medal for FIU with a first-place finish in the women's javelin (43.91 meters).
 
Fans are encouraged to follow the team on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUTrackXC) for all the latest FIU Track and Cross Country news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.

About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.