GENEVA, Ohio. - Junior Chantelle Grey, of the Austin Peay women's track and field team inched closer to the 800-meter school record with a 2:08.41, and a sixth-place finish at the SPIRE Invitational.

In fact, the Missoula, Montana native actually finished second in her heat race prior to the final, leading that race down to the final 100 meters. The sixth-place time in the finals put the Lady Gov standout in the NCAA's top-50

"Chantelle ran a terrific race," head coach Doug Molnar said. "She executed her race plan perfectly and has set herself up nicely heading into the conference championships."

At the invitation-only event with featured 18 teams from around the United States and Canada, Grey was one of handful of individuals with the opportunity to compete in select events. With nothing to lose and everything to prove, Grey moved herself atop the Ohio Valley Conference's 800-meter list.

Becoming an OVC champion might be the next goal for the Lady Govs distance runner, but to get there she may have to challenge APSU's school record - 2:06.17 - set by Austin Peay Hall of Famer Sheena Gooding in 2002.

"The important thing is, she showed that she belongs," Molnar said. "There's no doubt that she's one of the top 800-meter runners in our conference, if not the country after this race. This helps her confidence and puts her in a good place as the indoor season winds down."

Grey's race was led by Michigan's Rebecca Addison at 2:05.24, followed by Rachel Aubry (Guelph) at 2:06.22, Asia Henry (Buffalo) 2:07.06, Frances Dowd (Virginia Tech) 2:07.22 and Molly Malone (Syracuse) 2:07.81.

-AP-