APSU Sports Information
Bowling Green, KY – In one of the most incredible performances in Austin Peay State University track and field history, junior Savannah Amato shattered a long-held record and all but guaranteed a third straight appearance in the NCAA East Preliminary thanks to her performance at the Hilltopper Relays.
Amato’s 4.17m (13-8.25) mark, cleared on her second attempt at the height, shattered APSU Athletics Hall of Famer Carrie Burggraf’s 2010 mark, giving the Delaware, Ohio native sole possession of both the indoor and outdoor school records.
In addition to maintaining her stranglehold on the top spot in the conference standings, Amato zoomed all the way up to a tie for sixth in the NCAA East Region and 11th in the nation; the top-48 in each region advance to the Preliminary Round, with the top 12 in both the East and West Preliminaries advancing to the National Championships.
No athlete in NCAA history with a mark as high as Amato’s has failed to reach the Regional level, and she may have company this year. Both junior Dascha Hix and freshman Morgan Bradley reached 3.87m (12-8.25), moving into the region’s top-48 and not only giving themselves a chance at regional qualification, but giving Austin Peay a very real shot at sweeping the podium next month at the OVC Outdoor Championships in Cookeville.
For both Hix and Bradley, Saturday’s efforts represented their career-best marks.
“Great night at WKU,” said Austin Peay head coach Doug Molnar. “Those three put together a complete effort. Morgan got Dascha and Savannah fired up with her PR and they fed off that all evening.
“The crazy thing is this group can still get a lot better. We’d sure love to get all three qualified for the regional round. Dascha was so close to hitting 4.02 (meters); she’s right there and she can taste it.”
A small cadre of runners represented Austin Peay at the Kentucky Wesleyan Twilight Invitational, with Keleah Shell (2:30.79) posting runner-up honors in the 800m run, closely followed by teammates Sophia Wilson (2:35.41, fourth) and Alura Endres (2:36.13, fifth).
Austin Peay returns to Fortera Stadium for the annual APSU Invitational next weekend, with the two-day event set to kick off 5:00pm, Friday.
