DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Men’s and Women’s Track & Field) – Ja’Mar Watson, a graduate student from Baltimore, Md., won three field events in Florida Tech’s season-opener Saturday at the Embry-Riddle Challenge.

In his Panther debut, he was victorious in the shot put at 15.30 meters, discus at 45.16 meters and weight at 18.41 meters. The former NCAA Division III track and field standout from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute won each event by an average of 2.96 meters or nine feet, seven inches.

“He takes a professional approach to his training, nutrition and his craft,” head coach Pete Mazzone said. “He was very good today. This was the first time he’s thrown in an indoor and outdoor format. His distance in the weight was a personal record. He came close to his personal record in the shot put. He’s exciting to watch.”

Billy Comaskey and Lyndon Lamott also registered top 20 finishes. Comaskey placed 18th in the 400-meter dash at 54.69. Lamott, who like Comaskey is a second-year track and field participant at FIT, tied for 18th in the 60-meter dash at 7.23. He also finished 20th in the 200-meter dash at 23.18.

“I’m pleased with the effort we displayed today,” Mazzone said. “We used today’s race to get the rust out of some of our sprinters and see where we stand as we move forward. When we come back to Embry-Riddle in a few weeks, we’ll take our entire team.”

Jessica Richardson represented the women’s team, however, she was scratched from her two races due to injury.

The Panthers will return to Daytona Beach for the Embry-Riddle Last Chance Feb. 17-18 at the ERAU Track Complex.