Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University’s track and field team has proven to be one of the best squads in the Ohio Valley Conference the past few years, but the Lady Govs hope an outstanding performance in its first home meet in two years is just the preview to things to come with the OVC outdoor championships being held at Governors Stadium.
The last time Austin Peay held a home meet was on April 23rd, 2013, but after not being able to hold a home event with the renovations to the new Governors Stadium in 2014, the April 17th and 18th APSU Invitational gave the Lady Govs a chance show off their talents in a home-field advantage setting.
“It’s been 10 years since we hosted the last one and anytime you can host (the championship) it’s special and the girls are excited about getting a chance to run in their own track.”
That excitement sure showed this past weekend, as the Lady Govs more than doubled the point total of runner-up Murray State, while also outdistancing Jacksonville State, Belmont, Tennessee Tech – all OVC rivals.
The past two OVC champions, Southeast Missouri and Eastern Illinois, weren’t in this past week’s event, but with a home field advantage maybe this is the year the Lady Govs pick up their first outdoor title.
“Anytime you can run at home and you’re familiar with the surroundings it’s an advantage,” Molnar said. “Something like knowing the wind in the stadium, little things like that, it’s an advantage if you run there all the time.”
Austin Peay hopes that home-field knowledge added to a group of athletes that features the likes of Breigh Jones, Kaylnn Pitts, Jessica Gray, Kymmalett Ross and Natalie Olberding, among many others, the OVC outdoor championships on May 15th and 16th could be a celebration for the red and white.
“We look at each and every meet as a building block that points to the conference championships,” Molnar said. “That’s the crown jewel and we hope the next few weeks will have us peaking and ready to take advantage of having the championship here at Governors Stadium.”
