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Austin Peay State University Track and Field gets second place at OVC Outdoor Championships

APSU Sports Information

Austin Peay State University Lady Govs - APSUEdwardsville, IL – Austin Peay State University women’s track and field team earned points in 12 of 14 events on the final day of competition at the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, finishing runner-up as a team at Ralph Korte Stadium in an historic afternoon for the program.

Austin Peay Women's Track and Field. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Women’s Track and Field. (APSU Sports Information)

The Lady Govs 133.5 points placed them just 7.5 behind champion Southeast Missouri, who claimed the top spot for the first time since 2006.

Five-time defending champion Eastern Illinois finished third with 122.5 points, while Tennessee State (120.5) and Eastern Kentucky (78.5) rounded out the top five.

The 2014 Lady Govs have now earned the best indoor and outdoor finish in head coach Doug Molnar’s tenure.

Breigh Jones“I’m so proud of this group of young ladies and this coaching staff,” said Molnar, who earned Austin Peay’s first OVC Female Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year honor since 1983. “They worked so hard this year and this is really just the payoff for all that hard work they put in.”

Sophomore Breigh Jones gave Austin Peay its second gold medal on the weekend with a 54.08 mark in the 400m dash. The Memphis native’s first gold medal places her 36th in the NCAA East Region based on marks entering Saturday’s competition.

Terri MorrisFreshman Terri Morris seems to be following in Jones’ footsteps from a year ago. She earned bronze in the 400m event with a personal-best 54.87 mark, earning herself a berth at the US Junior Nationals in the process.

Her 54.87 run is four-tenths of a second away from the mark that placed Jones in the NCAA East Preliminary field last season and exactly what Jones ran in her first OVC Outdoor Championship 400m attempt a year ago in Charleston, Illinois.

Jones and Morris each had a hand in Austin Peay’s 4x100m relay outing that produced a silver medal for the Lady Govs quartet. They were joined by junior Maikea Davis and sophomore Kymmalett Ross for a 45.28 run, bettering the OVC Outdoor record and shattering the school record set earlier this season but not enough to offset Tennessee State’s 45.05 mark.

Freshman Kaylnn Pitts may also find herself at the NCAA East Preliminary field if her development continues. Her 12.63m (41’ 5.25”) leap not only earned her the silver in the triple jump – and it not only broke a school record held by Austin Peay Hall of Famer Ayesha Maycock since 2000 – it would qualify her 32nd in the NCAA East field based on marks prior to Saturday.

Freshmen Ashleigh Woods (personal-best 12.24m, fifth) and Chancis Jones (12.04m, seventh) also earned points toward the Lady Govs final tally.

Erika AdamsA trio of Austin Peay sprinters combined for 14 points Saturday. Junior Erika Adams won silver with an 11.98 run, while Ross (12.11, fifth) and Davis (12.19, seventh) supplemented her efforts in an event that moved Austin Peay from fourth to second overall at the time of scoring.

Davis later picked up bronze in the 200m dash with a 24.42 run, closely followed by Jones in fourth with a 24.51 mark.

Senior Xiamar Hudson closed out her career on a high note with a bronze medal in the 1500m run. The Clarksville native posted a 4:34.95 run to break a Sheena Gooding mark that had stood since 2001. She just missed medaling in the 5000m run, finishing fourth with a 17:42.66 run.

Jessica GrayA personal-best earned junior Jessica Gray bronze in the 800m event. She hit 2:10.73 and nearly caught Eastern Illinois’ Kristen Paris for second. Hudson added another point to Austin Peay’s tally with an eighth-place, 2:20.30 run.

Freshman Myiah Johnson added to the medal collection with her first career spot on the podium. The Memphis native placed third in the 100m hurdles thanks to a personal-best 13.99 run. Freshman Amia Butler also picked up points with a sixth-place, 14.33 run.

Butler slipped to fifth in the heptathlon over the final three events of the seven-discipline event. She finished with 4,307 points, with her 5.28m, fourth-place long jump finish serving as her best Saturday mark.

After posting the top qualifying mark in the 400m hurdles, junior Natalie Olberding slipped to fourth in the event with a 1:02.42 run.

In Saturday’s final event, Gray had to step in for a hobbled Ross in the 4x400m relay. However, the Lady Govs still earned silver in the event thanks to a season-best 3:41.21 mark. The medal gave each of the Jones-Davis-Gray-Morris quartet multiple medals for their efforts this weekend.

Select student-athletes will continue to compete for the opportunity to represent Austin Peay at the 2014 NCAA East Preliminaries. The Lady Govs are tentatively scheduled for the Georgia Tech Invitational, May 16th-17th, but may also find other events to enter into.

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