Austin Peay State University track and field has had a number of standouts come through during the Doug Molnar era. Sherlonda Johnson. Breigh Jones. Chantelle Grey. Carrie Burggraf. Molly Barktiewicz. Bertha Castillo.

Kaylnn Pitts did something none of those APSU greats ever managed to pull off. And she did it twice—qualifying for two different events at the NCAA Regional level.  

For the second time in three seasons, the Woonsocket, Rhode Island native qualified for both the long and triple jump at the 2017 NCAA East Preliminary, representing Austin Peay on one of track and field's biggest stages for the third time in her career. This after she became the first athlete in school history to become a double qualifier when she pulled it off during the 2015 campaign.

Pitts' Austin Peay career was a distinguished one long before the 2016-17 campaign—that was evident when she received the Female Legends Awards at the 2017 ESPEAY's, given to Austin Peay's most outstanding senior athlete—but her final season put a fitting end to her career. As a senior, Pitts found the top of the podium on six occasions—three indoor, three outdoor—and racked up another round of medals in Ohio Valley Conference competition, leaving Clarksville with seven total medals (six silver, one bronze).

Long known for her triple-jump prowess, Pitts developed into an exemplary long-jumper and took that talent to another level in 2017. In her penultimate attempt at the 2017 OVC Outdoor Championships, Pitts posted a personal-best 6.14m (20-1.75) mark to snag silver behind Tennessee State's Amber Hughes, who would go on to earn OVC Female Athlete of the Year honors.

2016-17 Top 10

No. 10 – Austin Peay claims OVC Institutional Sportsmanship Honor
No. 9 – Govs host inaugural ESPEAY's