LEXINGTON, Va. – A new women's 60-meter program record, nine individual first-place finishes, and a first-place team finish with 230 points highlighted the App State women's track and field team's day at the VMI Team Challenge on Saturday.
"We had a very good meet and win, since it was scored," said director of track & field/cross country
Damion McLean. "There were lots of season and personal bests to build on as we move on into the season."
On the track, junior
Kendall Johnson reset the App State program record in the women's 60-meter prelims with a personal best of 7.39. Johnson set the previous program record of 7.42 at the 2025 Sun Belt Indoor Championships. Later in the afternoon, Johnson stopped the clock at 7.43 to place first in the women's 60-meter final.
App State went 1-2-3 in the women's 200 meters and swept the top five spots in the women's 400 meters with senior
Damyja Alejandro-Ortiz claiming the crown in both events. In the 200 meters, Alejandro-Ortiz stopped the clock at 24.10, which moved her to second all-time in the App State top-10. Johnson secured second with a personal best of her own, 24.16, which elevated her from sixth to fourth all-time. Junior
Nicole Wells finished third with a time of 24.58. In the women's 400 meters, Alejandro-Ortiz clocked a personal best of 55.43, which moved her to third in the App State all-time list. Junior
Jayla Adams and Wells placed second (55.64) and third (56.18), respectively, rising to fifth and sixth in the all-time list. Senior
Daye Talley and sophomore
Ja'Naya Linder rounded out the top-five with times of 57.26 and 57.95.
The Mountaineers also took the top three spots in the women's mile, where sophomore
Savannah Moore stopped the clock at 5:03.41 and was followed closely by freshmen
Josie Jackson (5:07.22) and
Tessa Massa (5:08.61). The distance squad also saw a first-place finish from junior
Mary Biagini, who set pace for the Black and Gold in the women's 3,000 meters. Biagini recorded a personal best of 10:19.77 and was followed by freshman
Elizabeth McCart, who placed second with a time of 10:21.95.
In her high jump debut, freshman
Ashlynn Wimberly cleared a bar of 1.68m (5' 6") to place first and round out the App State top-10. Senior
Ava Studney recorded her third first-place finish of the 2025-26 campaign in the women's pole vault with a clearance of 3.75m (12' 3.5"), while sophomore
Abigail Goetz and senior
Caroline Fowlkes tied for third with clearances of 3.45m (11' 3.75"). Freshman
Alana Braxton garnered gold in the women's triple jump (12.24m (40' 2")) and secured silver in the women's long jump (5.78m (18' 11.75")).
In the women's shot put, sophomore
Harlee Fonville registered her first collegiate victory with a toss of 12.87m (42' 2.75"). Fellow sophomore
Brittany Ellis placed second with a mark of 11.69m (38' 4.25"). Junior
Dianna Boykin posted a second-place finish in the women's weight throw with a personal best of 14.82m (48' 7.5").
Up Next
The Mountaineers will head to Blacksburg, Va. for Virginia Tech's Hokie Invitational on Jan. 23-24.
VMI Team Challenge Women's Team Standings
1. App State – 230 points
2. Washington and Lee – 66.5 points
3. Richard Bland (Va.) – 63 points
4. VMI – 41 points
5. Emory and Henry – 40 points
6. Christopher Newport – 33 points
7. Southern Virginia – 26.5 points
8. VCU – 21 points
9. Hagerstown (MD) CC – 10 points
