The All State

By MARLON SCOTT
Senior Staff Writer
The starting gun for the outdoor track season sounded off at home for the Lady Govs. Lipscomb, Belmont and Western Kentucky were among the schools that came to APSU to compete in the annual APSU Spring Fling Saturday, March 20.

Several Lady Govs started the season with first place finishes in their events.

According to APSU Sports Information, head coach Doug Molnar said his team looked ready for the season.

“It was a good first meet back, especially after a long break,” Molnar said. “You never know how much practice goes on during Spring break. But they looked like they did some practicing.”

The Lady Govs looked equally impressive on the field and the track.

In the high jump event, the Lady Govs placed in three of the top five spots. Senior Amanda McCoy earned the top spot when she cleared 1.68 meters. In second and third places respectively were freshman Jessica Runyon-Davis and junior Latoya Monger. Both cleared 1.58 meters.

“McCoy had a great meet. She almost got a personal best on the first day. I expect her to keep improving during the season,” Molnar said.

Like the high jump, three Lady Govs earned top seeding in the pole vault as well. Sophomore Brianna Lococo won first place. Right behind her was teammate, freshman Skylar Wall. Molly Bartkiewcz earned fourth place in the event.

Freshman Cenitra Hudson heated up the jumping field with a first place finish in the triple jump and a fourth place finish in the long jump. Freshman teammate Leigha Tolliver took first place in the long jump.

Lady Gov junior Courtney Jordan placed in the top five of both the discus and javelin throw. Junior Chiamaka Obi was one of several Lady Govs who lit up the track at the Spring Fling.

Obi was part of a 4×400 meter relay team that sprinted to a first place finish. Also from the relay team, sophomore Jasmine Scott and Obi earned the top two spots in the 400. Obi finished first in a time of 57.73 seconds. Scott finished second in 58.32.

“Going one-two in the 400-meter dash is always a nice way to start,” Molnar said. “I was also really happy with the relay team.”

Junior Candace Cullors placed second in the 100. Senior Shamai Larsen also finished second in the 5000.

McCoy found success on the track as well. She took first in the 100 hurdles, followed closely by her teammate Tolliver who finished third.

Freshman Ashley Carson got on the Lady Govs first place finish list in the 400 hurdles with a time of 1.05 minutes.

By Marlon Scott | Senior Staff Writer

The Lady Govs indoor track and field team went to Nashville Saturday, Feb. 27 to compete in this season’s Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships. Led by championship performances by senior pole vaulters Carrie Burggraf and Molly Bartkiewicz, the Lady Govs finished fourth overall, their best finish since 2001.

According to APSU Sports Information, head coach Doug Molnar praised the team’s performance.

“This is our best finish since 2001,” Molnar said. “This was a total team effort. We had a lot of people contributing and doing a great job for us.”

The team earned 72 total points. Conference rival Eastern Illinois earned a second consecutive title with 142 points.

Adding to an already impressive resume, Burggraf won her second indoor vaulting title in a row. Both she and teammate cleared 3.96 meters (13 feet). However, Bartkiewicz lost to Burggraf in a subsequent jump off. Sophomore vaulter Briana Lococo contributed to the team’s total by finishing fifth.

Also in the field events, freshman Leigha Tolliver finished second in the long jump and third in the triple jump. Senior Amanda McCoy tied with Eastern Illinois sophomore Megan Gingereich in the high jump, both clearing 1.63 meters. But McCoy lost the jump off and took second place. Junior Latoya Monger finished ninth in the same event.

“McCoy had a solid weekend and Tolliver couldn’t have done a better job as a freshman. Altogether, it was a fantastic job. The ladies really pulled together,” Molnar said.

McCoy and Tolliver also earned points in the 55-meter hurdles. McCoy earned third place and Tolliver finished fourth.

Junior Chiamaka Obi earned several points for the team on the track. She finished second with a time of 55.85 in the 400-meter dash. Obi also finished sixth in the 200 and was part of the four women team that finished sixth in the 4×400 relay. Junior Candace Johnson, freshman Ashley Carson and sophomore Jasmine Scott were the other members of the squad. Together they finished in 3:56.59
Scott also finished seventh in the 400.
Senior Shamai Larsen and Senior Jenelle Avery contributed in the long distance events.
Shamai finished in the top twenty of both the 3000-meter and 5000-meter run. Avery finished in the top twenty of the 3000.