ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University women's track and field team completed the Trojan Opener on Saturday (Mar. 18), finishing second as a team with 88 points. Southern Wesleyan won the meet with 126 points.
The home meet marked the first of the outdoor season for the Trojans. Olivia Rish paced the Trojans in the 1500m, winning the event with a time of 4:41.16. Mclayne Wyatt (5:07.31), Rebecca Ward (5:12.28), Madison Crumley (5:16.53), and Kaelan Pierce (5:29.70) all finished inside the top-20. Aubrey Quillen won the 800m with a time of 2:19.00, meanwhile Emma Whitaker (2:19.18) and Alysse Rowland (2:26.24) finished second and fifth, respectively.
Emily Golden won the 5000m (17:58.90) while Elise Matthews finished third (18:16.88). Faith Nelson took fifth (18:56.18), Hagan Wilson ninth (19:31.77), amd Hannah Reedy 21st (20:56.95). Lacey Boozer (57.73) and Brianna Quartararo (58.18) finished second and third in the 400m. Autumn Bladen finished inside the top-15 with a mark of 1:02.28. Joeli Hayden ran the 100m at 12.85 seconds.
The women's 4x400m relay team consisting of Brianna Quartararo, Lacey Boozer, Joeli Hayden, and Emma Whitaker finished second with a time of 4:00.49.
In the field, Sarah Wimpee finished sixth in the discus at 33.05m, 10th in the shot put at 9.63m, and 34.63m in the hammer throw. Kirsten Leonard finished fourth in the pole vault at 3.15m, while Madison Crumley had a mark of 2.55m.
"We had a very successful outdoor opener this weekend," said coach Kevin Eagle. "The competition was great in all event groups and our athletes really stepped up to perform well. We had several personal bests and it sets us up well as the season progresses over the next two months. We must now focus on training and doing the little things it takes to reach the next level."
The Trojans will be back in action this weekend (Mar.23-25) as they travel to Raliegh, N.C. for the Raliegh Relays. Results can be found at autrojans.com.
