Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University closed its school year this past week with the Lady Govs outdoor track and field team hosting the Ohio Valley Conference championship and the baseball team finishing its regular season, but it also marked the second straight year without a team OVC championship.
The last Austin Peay OVC team championships came during the 2012-13 season, with the Govs winning conference titles in men’s tennis, men’s golf and baseball.
First, the Governors men’s tennis team went into their final match of the regular season with a chance to win a title, but came up short in a loss to Tennessee Tech.
They would rebound to reach the OVC tournament finals versus Eastern Kentucky the next week, but came up short versus the Colonels to finish second.
In this weekend that just wrapped up, the Lady Govs outdoor track and field team posted their second straight top-three finish, just 9.5 points behind the meet winner Tennessee State.
The final near miss this spring came almost three weeks ago, when the men’s golf team went into the final round of the OVC golf championship just two shots back, but only carded eight total birdies as a team to finish in sixth place, six shots back of tournament winner Eastern Kentucky.
Women’s golf was the only other spring sport to participate in the post season, finishing seventh, with baseball, softball and women’s tennis failing to qualify for post-season action.
Despite no team titles, the Lady Govs outdoor track and field team did win several events at the OVC championships.
To no surprise, junior Breigh Jones continued solidify her position as one of the best 400m dash athletes in OVC history, with a gold-medal time of 53.70, defending her win from 2014.
She was also a part of the 4×100 relay team with won gold – along with Erika Adams, Lamontra Robinson and Kymmalett Ross – with a time of 45.66.
Jones would win a third gold in the 100m dash, with a time of 11.96.
Sophomore Chancis Jones would also take gold in the long jump, setting a school record and OVC outdoor championship record – with a distance of 20-7.75.
Both Jones’ – and possibly a couple of other Lady Govs – should qualify for the NCAA East Preliminary Round, scheduled for May 28th through 30th, in Jacksonville, FL.
So with the 2014-15 school year all but in the books, it’s now time to start looking forward to the 2015-16 season for the Govs and Lady Govs, and with a little luck a couple of OVC championships along the way.
