BOONE, N.C. - The App State men's and women's track & field team will compete in NC State's Raleigh Relays this week. The relays will run from March 28-30. Field events will start at 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, 9:45 a.m. on Friday, and 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. Events on the track will start at 4:35 p.m. on Thursday, 12:40 p.m. on Friday, and 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers posted a new women's long jump program and conference record, eight event wins, and 26 top-five finishes at the Weems Baskin Relays in Columbia, S.C. on March 22-23. Graduate student
Ashlee Osaji shattered the program and SBC women's long jump record with a leap of 6.54m (21' 5.5"). The previous school record was 6.22m (20' 5.25"), set in 1993 by Melissa Morrison-Howard, who went on to become a two-time Olympic bronze medalist. The previous Sun Belt regular season record was 6.47m (21' 2.75") set in 2012 by WKU's Jade Nimmo. Osaji earned Sun Belt Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week honors for her performance.
Senior
Chris Wainscott clinched first in the men's shot put (17.16m (56' 3.75")), while fellow senior
Niejel Wilkins landed in first in the men's triple jump with a leap of 14.95m (49' 0.75").
On the track, the women's 4x100-meter relay team of freshmen
Nicole Wells and
Sierra Smith, senior
Taylor Smith, and freshman
Kendall Johnson stopped the clock at 45.51 for the win. Sophomore
Addison Ollendick-Smith and graduate student
Elizabeth Fuller each posted first-place finishes and personal bests in the women's 800 meters (2:12.87) and women's open 1,500 meters (4:46.81), respectively. In the men's 3,000 meters, graduate student
Jonah Bird clocked a season best of 9:28.96 for a first-place finish. In the men's 5,000 meters, junior
Garrett Bivens led the Mountaineers with a time of 14:43.64 for a first-place finish.
Ranked Mountaineers
App State ranks among the top-25 in the NCAA in three events. Osaji stands second in the NCAA and leads the NCAA East Prelims qualifying list, Southeast Region, and Sun Belt in the women's long jump. The quartet of Wells,
Sierra Smith,
Taylor Smith, and freshman
Jayla Adams rank 23rd in the women's 4x100-meter relay and sophomore
Ethan Lipham ranks 24th in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase nationally. Twenty-five Mountaineers stand in top-48 of the NCAA East Preliminary Round qualifying list in 15 events.
Around the Southeast Region, 11 Mountaineers hold spots in the top-five in seven events. Wainscott, Wilkins, and freshman
Matthew Gray rank third in the men's shot put, men's triple jump, and men's pole vault, respectively. In the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase, Lipham checks in at third and Bird rounds out the top-five. Freshman
Harrison Robinson ranks fourth in the men's 110-meter hurdles, while the 4x100-meter relay team of Wells,
Sierra Smith,
Taylor Smith, and Adams rank fourth in the event.
In the Sun Belt rankings, 23 Mountaineers rank among the top-five in 17 events. In addition to Osaji leading the women's long jump, Wainscott continues to lead the SBC in the men's shot put, Adams continues to lead in the women's 400 meters, and Bivens climbs to first in the men's 5,000 meters after his performance last week.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will head to Durham, N.C for the Duke Invitational on April 11-13.
