Richards and Obi lead track and field during split weekend

APSU Track and Field

Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University women’s track and field team split ranks for the weekend, sending sprinters to the Sea Ray Relays, and taking distance runners and jumpers to the Bellarmine Invitational.

At Bellarmine, the Lady Govs distance crew did a nice job despite some unsightly weather conditions. In fact, six Lady Govs set personal bests in the 1500-meter run, led by Xiamer Richards, who ran the race with a time of 4:48.76, which was more than seven seconds faster than her previous best.

“They did a real nice job under some rough conditions,” head coach Doug Molnar said. “Even with rain and sleet throughout the day, we still managed a handful of personal bests and that was real nice to see. These days make us better.”

Janelle Avery (4:56.85) and Kendra Kirksey (5:00.08) each had top-10 finishes in the 1500-meter run, as well as personal bests. Richards and Kirksey also recorded top-10 finishes in the 800-meter run, Richards (2:24.41) in fifth and Kirksey (2:28.56) in eighth.

Latoya Monger had a strong day, participating in the 100-meter hurdles and the high jump. She finished second in the hurdles (15.29) and second in the high jump (1.52m).

At Tennessee’s Sea Ray Relays, weather played a huge role in the day’s schedule. Heavy rain washed out a number of events, including both the 4×100 relay and the 4×400 relay. However, Chiamaka Obi was able to improve her personal best in the 400-meter dash (55.24), which also became the Ohio Valley Conference’s best outdoor time.

“That was a big race for Chiamaka,” Molnar said. “She’s starting to get back to form at a great time.”