APSU Sports Information
Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University track and field will return to Nashville for the first time during outdoor season for the 2018 Vanderbilt Black and Gold, scheduled for a 4:00pm, Friday, March 22nd start at the Vanderbilt Track and Field Complex.
Over 500 athletes from 15 participating teams are scheduled to compete in the event, which was unable to take place last season due to facility upgrades.
In addition to the Governors and host Commodores, student-athletes from Belmont, Butler, Hillsdale, Illinois State, Kentucky, Lipscomb, Louisville, Middle Tennessee, Notre Dame, Oakland, Southern Indiana, Trevecca and Western Kentucky will compete in a host of events, weather permitting.
Two years ago, Austin Peay’s dynamic pole vault duo of Savannah Amato and Dascha Hix made their outdoor debuts at this event. Now juniors, the pair have rocketed to the top of the league and rank first and second in the league heading into the weekend. Among NCAA East competitors, Amato’s mark two weeks at the Coastal Carolina Invitational ranks 14th, while Hix enters the weekend at 27th.
Another Gov atop the league in one event and lurking in another is freshman Sabrina Richman, who won her outdoor 400m debut two weeks ago in Myrtle Beach with a 56.37 mark. She’ll look to add to that lead this week, although she won’t have a go at the 200m dash, where she currently ranks third in the conference.
Speaking of talented freshmen, Lennex Walker is scheduled to make her debut this weekend; she’s been ruled out of Friday’s 200m but is slated to give it a go in the long jump and 100m hurdles, Saturday. Another frosh, Denia Hill-Tate, ranks second in the OVC in the hurdles entering the weekend and is set to go in the heat before Walker on Saturday.
Emmaculate Kiplagat and Caroline Kiplagat will compete in the 3000m for the Govs; Caroline is third in the league in the 3000m steeplechase, while Emmaculate is third in the 5000m and have put in good work in practice to prep for Vanderbilt.
After her first meet in over a year yielded a 12.42m (40-9.00) triple jump mark, freshman Maya Perry-Grimes ranks fifth in the NCAA East heading into Friday’s 4:00pm attempt. Louisville’s Renate Van Tonder is the only athlete in the competition with a better seed, having hit 12.48m nearly a calendar year ago.
Live scoring will be available courtesy CFPI Timing. A complete recap will be available at the conclusion of competition each day at LetsGoPeay.com.
