Austin Peay State University Track heads to Nashville for Commodore Challenge

Thursday, January 12, 2023

Austin Peay State University Track and Field to take part in Commodore Challenge. (APSU Sports Information)

APSU Women's Track and Field Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) track and field team takes part in the Commodore Challenge, hosted by Vanderbilt, on Friday and Saturday at the David Williams II Recreation and Wellness Center. Friday’s field events begin at 1:00pm CT, and track events start at 5:00pm.

Valerie Brown‘s squad makes a trip to Nashville for the second of three-straight weekends and first of two at meets hosted by Vanderbilt.

The Governors, who are taking part in the meet for a second-straight season, are slated to compete against Vanderbilt, Alabama, Ole Miss, Belmont, Campbellsville, Evansville, Indiana, Indiana Tech, Lindenwood, Lipscomb, Middle Tennessee, Mobile, Murray State, Tennessee Tech, Western Kentucky, and William Carey.

Austin Peay State University won the 24th annual Ed Temple Classic, hosted by Tennessee State, on January 7th. Kenisha Phillips won the 55 meter dash and 200 meter dash in 7.07 and 24.32 seconds, respectively. Savannah Fruth (5:30.48), Sydney Freeman (5:33.85), Kerra Marsh (5:42.36), Hallie Mattingly (6:08.36), and Piper Barnhart (6:16.27) took the top five spots in the one-mile run.

Kyra Wilder (58.81 seconds), Lauren Lewis (58.89 seconds), and Alexis Arnett (59.13 seconds) claimed the top three spots in the 400 meter dash. Camaryn McClelland (8.51 seconds) and Amani Sharif (8.69 seconds) took second and third, respectively, in the 55 meter hurdles. The Governors’ 4×400 meter relay team of Wilder, Lewis, Arnett, and Phillips took the top spot in 3:57.30.

Sharif, Ashleigh Stephen, Isis Banks, and Sydney Hartoin finished second in 4:05.06. Sharif won the long jump with a school-record mark of 6.22 meters, which ranks fourth best nationally this season. She also won the high jump after clearing 1.65 meters. McClelland took third in the triple jump after clearing 11.56 meters.

Emma Tucker was second in the weight throw and third in the shot put after tosses of 14.18 and 11.70 meters, respectively. Sabrina Oostburg finished fourth in the weight throw after a toss of 13.82 meters.

For their efforts, Sharif and Tucker swept the ASUN Conference weekly awards on Wednesday. Sharif earned two honors – Track Athlete and Freshman of the Week. Tucker was voted Field Athlete of the Week.

In last season’s Commodore Challenge, Austin Peay State University registered five top-five finishes along with a plethora of personal bests. Karlijn Schouten registered a mark of 3.85 meters to finish third in the pole vault.

McClelland finished fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 11.26 meters. McClelland finished seventh in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 9.23 seconds.

Phillips finished third in the 400 meter dash with a time of 56.33 seconds. The 4×400 meter relay team, which included Phillips, Lewis, and Mikaela Smith, finished fourth with a time of 3:54.35.