Mountaineers Set for VMI Winter Classic

BOONE, N.C. - The App State women's track and field team will travel to Lexington, Va. for the VMI Winter Classic on Jan. 27-28. The meet is slated for a 1 p.m. start on Friday, with the women's 60-meter hurdles as well as the women's pole vault. Action continues on Saturday with a 10 a.m. start for both track and field events.
 
Last Time Out
The Black and Gold hosted the App State Split Open on Jan. 20, clinching first in the team rankings with 184 points. The Mountaineers tallied eight event wins and 26 top-five finishes on the afternoon. 
 
App State claimed the top four spots in the women's triple jump, led by senior Jada Branch, who recorded a leap of 12.06m (39' 6.75"). Fellow senior Taylor Smith landed in first place in the women's long jump, recording a leap of 6.00m (19' 8.25"). The Mountaineers went 1-2-3 in the women's pole vault with senior Celia Agee recording a first-place clearance of 3.56m (11' 8.25"). Junior Megan Plummer and sophomore Graysen Arnold garnered gold in the women's shot put (11.42m (37' 5.5")) and women's weight throw (16.80m (55' 1")), respectively. 
 
On the track, the Black and Gold clinched the top three spots in the women's 55 meters, led by sophomore Mariah McCord, who clocked a time of 7.22. In the women's 3000 meters, sophomore Catherine Breault finished first with a personal best of 11:32.06. Junior Bianca Copeman clocked a personal best of her own in the women's mile, placing first with a time of 5:31.31. 
 
Ranked Mountaineers
In the Sun Belt, Smith checks in at second in the women's long jump (6.15m (20' 2.25")) and third in the 60 meters (7.46), while Branch ranks third in the women's triple jump (12.52m (41'1")). Smith and Branch also rank in the top-10 in their events in the Southeast Region, with Smith landing fourth in the women's long jump and tenth in the 60 meters. Branch stands sixth in the region for the women's triple jump. The pair also rank in the top-48 in the NCAA, with Smith checking in at 19th in the women's long jump and Branch checking in at 45th in the women's triple jump.
 
In the first USTFCCCA team rankings of the season, App State rounds out the top 20 in the Southeast Region. 
 
Up Next
The women's squad will split on Feb. 3-4 as they head to Winston-Salem, N.C. for the Camel City Invite at the JDL Fast Track, and travel to Blacksburg, Va. for the Doc Hale Virginia Tech Meet.