Racers Have Another Huge Meet

Friday, April 19

Nashville, Tenn.

Murray State

Vanderbilt Invitational

Photo by: Murray State Sports Information

4/20/2013 6:09:00 PM | Women's Track and Field

Ole Miss Results (.pdf) | Vanderbilt Results (.pdf)

It was a huge day for the Murray State track and field team at the Ole Miss Open Saturday. The Racers got four event wins at the meet and for the second-straight week, had a school record set.

For the second consecutive week Sharda Bettis set the school record in the 100-meter hurdles. Bettis broke her own record with a time of 13.64, winning the event. LaShea Shaw took sixth in the event with a time of 14.30. Her time is the 10^th-fastest in school history.

Tonia Pratt set a new career-high for her in the shot put. Pratt's throw of 48 feet is the second-best in MSU history and got her the win at the meet. Pratt also took first in the discus with a toss of 151'-7.5”. The throw is the third-best in school history. Pratt also placed second in the hammer throw on Saturday, recording a throw of 172, good enough for the third-best throw in school history.

All-American Alexis Love picked up the Racers' other win on Saturday. Love ran a season-best time of 11.63 in the 100 meters, the third-best time in program history.

Natalie Pattin took second in the 800 meters at the Open. Pattin's time of 2:16.88 is the eighth-fastest time in school history and is a new career-best for Pattin. Sydney Potts picked up another second-place finish for MSU. Potts took second in the javelin with a throw of 116'-6”.

The Racers got a pair of third-place finishes from their relay teams Saturday. The 4x100 team of Shaw, Hannah McAllister, Bettis and Love set a new season-best with a time of 45.99. In the 4x400 relay, Love, Shaw, Pattin and Bettis ran a season-best with a time of 3:46.96.

Ashley Conway had a solid day in the jumps for Murray State. Conway took third in the high jump with a leap of 5'-3” and took third. Conway followed that up with a sixth-place finish in the long jump with a jump of 17'5.75”. The mark set a new PR for Conway.

MSU got fourth- and sixth-place finishes from Kiara Austin and Jill Jachino, respectively in the triple jump. Austin recorded the seventh-highest leap in school history with a mark of 38'-1.75”. Jachino's jump of 36'-7” set a new career-high for her.

Jacquelyn Thate grabbed a new PR and top-10 all-time mark in the 3,000 steeplechase Saturday. Thate's time of 12:24.79 set a new career-best for her in the event and was the eighth-best time in school history. Thate placed fourth in the event.

In the 200, Shaw placed seventh with a time of 25.19, which set a new PR for her. Bettis took ninth with a time of 25.59. Two more top-10 finishes came in the 400 for Murray State as KeLai Hicks and Jolyta Taylor placed ninth and 10^th, respectively. Hicks' time of 1:00.69 is a new career-best for her, while Taylor ran a time of 1:01.97.

The Racers also had some good performances Friday night at the Vanderbilt Invitational from their distance runners.

Carolyne Tanui continued her torrid spring by setting another PR, this time in the 5,000. Tanui's time of 17:40.39 is the third-best in school history. The Racers also got two top-10 finishes in the 3,000 steeplechase at Vanderbilt. Brittany Bohn set a new career-best and placed eighth with a time of 11:27.07. Alicyn Hester was ninth with a new PR time of 11:27.24 in the event. The times are the fourth- and fifth-fastest times in MSU history.

The Racers will more than likely split up again next weekend and travel to a pair of meets. The Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa and the Austin Peay “Battle on the Cumberlands” is on the slate for next weekend.