NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The record book was rewritten this weekend at the Music City Challenge in Nashville as the Austin Peay track and field team enjoyed a successful meet to end the regular season.
The Govs entered the record books in five events to go along with multiple career and seasonal-best marks and times. During the two-day meet in Nashville, the Govs garnered eight top-five finishes, 16 top ten finishes, and one event victory.
Austin Peay started off the meet with a school-record performance from senior Kori McDaniel in the discus throw. McDaniel finished sixth in the event with a mark of 46.39 meters, breaking the school record of 44.35 meters held by Talene Davis at the Emory Classic, March 29, 1997. McDaniel broke the 25-year-old school record by 2.58 meters as she earned the record throw on her sixth and final attempt.
McDaniel entered the record books once again on day two of the Music City Challenge in the shot put. The Alpharetta, Georgia native finished 10th in the event with a mark of 14.10 meters. Her 14.10-meter throw was the third farthest mark in school history. McDaniel now holds the second and third farthest throws in the shot put in program history.
Entering the record books once again was junior Kenisha Phillips in the 100-meter dash. Phillips finished third in the event with a time of 11.54. The time was the second-fastest time in the event in school history, just missing out on breaking the school record by just 0.03. Senior Mikaela Smith entered the record books in the 800-meter dash, running a career-best time of 2:08.59 to finish fifth. The time was the eighth-fastest time in the event in school history.
The Govs lone event victory at the Music City Challenge came in the 4x400-meter relay. The team of Kyra Wilder, Lauren Lewis, Mikaela Smith, and Kenisha Phillips finished with a time of 3:40.19, finishing ahead of Ohio Valley Conference foe Murray State, Arkansas State, Vanderbilt, and Lipscomb. The time marked the second-fastest mark in program history, finishing just three seconds off the school record.
Continuing its success on the track, Austin Peay had two student-athletes register career-best times. In the 400-meter hurdles, freshman Madi Wallace placed 10th in the event with a career-best time of 1:05.06. For the second week in a row, senior Sara Martin collected a career-best time in the 1500-meter run. Martin finished 15th with a career-best time of 4:48.48, improving her career-best time from last week by two seconds.
The Govs will now set their sights on the OVC Outdoor Championships, May 11-13 in Murray, Kentucky. Austin Peay will look to capture its first-ever OVC Outdoor Title. The focus then turns to the NCAA East Prelims where the top 48 student-athletes in each event will qualify for the prelims with a chance to advance to the NCAA National Championships, June 8-11.
FIELD
- Pole Vault
- High Jump
- Denia Hill-Tate registered a mark of 1.65 meters to finish fourth in the event
- Triple Jump
HURDLES
- 100-meter hurdles
- Senior Lennex Walker notched a season-best time of 14.06 to finish 7th out of 24 runners
- Kamille Dunbar collected a top ten finish, placing 10th with a time of 14.17
SPRINTS
- 200-meter
- Phillips finished third out of 34 runners with a time of 23.73
- Kyra Wilder earned a top ten finish, placing ninth with a time of 24.36
- 400-meter
- The Govs had two place inside the top ten in the event
RELAY
FOLLOW THE GOVS
For all the latest information on Austin Peay Athletics, please visit letsgopeay.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Govs on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
