CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- Senior Emily Weinzetl set a new
personal-best mark in the 800-meter run and came oh-so-close to the
school record, marking one of the highlights of the afternoon when
the Tennessee Tech women's track & field team competed in
Austin Peay's Showdown on the Cumberland.
Weinzetl's effort was one of six personal best marks to fall in
the abbreviated meet. Host Austin Peay came out on top, scoring 89
points, with Murray State (78) second and Tech (49) third.
It was the team's final competition of the year before next week's
Ohio Valley Conference Championships, set for May 4-5 in Cape
Girardeau, Mo.
Weinzetl trimmed two seconds off her PR time when she took control
of the 800-meter race with about 300 meters remaining. She pulled
well ahead of the field and owned a commanding lead when she
crossed the line in 2:17.89. It was less than a second off the
school record of 2:17.02 set in 2007 by Keri Coulthard.
The team also got a PR from Madison Borden in the shot put, and
Kara Webb, Leah Bradley, Kendale Caldwell and Kathryn Forbes in the
1,500-meter run.
Borden beat her personal best by an inch in the shot put with a
throw of 39 feet, 4.5 inches. Borden and Lacy Yslas both narrowly
missed matching their PR distances in the discus in the first event
of the day. Yslas placed third with a throw of 136 feet, 4.5 inches
and Borden was fourth with a toss of 131 feet, 4.75 inches.
Webb as Tech's top finisher in the 1,500-meter run, placing third
in 4:55.22. That time marked her second consecutive personal best
and took seven seconds off the time she posted last week at
Vanderbilt.
Tech had eight runners in the 1,500-meter run, and four of them ran
PR marks. In addition to Webb, Bradley placed fifth in 4:56.93,
marking the fourth time in the last five meets that the senior has
bettered her mark.
The other two PR times came from Caldwell (5:15.58) and Forbes
(5:15.59).
Following Weinzetl in the 800m, Traci Jones placed fourth, Jenna
Philpott was sixth, Bradley was seventh, Webb placed 10th, Caldwell
was 12th and Connel finished 13th as the Golden Eagle filled the
field with seven runners.
Justine Phillips had a near-miss in the 200-meter dash, placing
fourth in 26.80, just a shade off her career-best of 26.77.
Brittany Cotto place fifth and Elisa Tanksley was seventh.
In the pole vault, Katie Lowery cleared 9 feet, 8.5 inches to place
fourth. Last week at Sewanee, Lowery broke her own school record
when she cleared 10 feet, 3 inches.
Erin Keyes topped th bar at 4 feet, 9 inches in the high jump to
finish in sixth place.