Women's Track and Field 4/8/2023 5:51:00 PM

Highlanders Overcome Mother Nature at Duke Invitational

DURHAM, N.C. – While competing against some of the nation's best and also battling severe weather, the Radford University women's track & field team managed to compile five different personal records and ten season-best times at the Duke Invitational this weekend.

FRIDAY'S RESULTS
The Highlanders began competition on Friday and it was the upperclassmen duo of Chloe Wellings and Austin Swallow that stole the show. Wellings recorded a new personal record in the 5,000-meter race with a time of 16:39.36, and now sits second all-time in the program's record book. Swallow earned a podium finish in the javelin when she posted a mark of 34.51 meters.

A pair of freshmen, Sophie Magson and Kate McLearen, laid down personal records in the 1,500-meter event. Magson's time of 4:37.99 was the fourth-fastest time in program history while McLearen's race finished in 4:53.20, her career-best outing.

The 5,000-meter race saw a pair of season best times come in from Rachel Millirons and Natalie Preston. Millirons finished the race with a time of 17:33.93 to record her top time this season. Preston ran a personal-record time of 18:22.73 to crack the program's top ten historical times.

SATURDAY'S RESULTS
Sophie Magson laid down a 2:16.83 performance in the 800-meter event. The freshman's new personal record moved her a few notches up the all-time top ten list.

Despite the tough weather conditions, three different Highlanders tallied season-best times in hurdles. Kandace McIvor flew through the 100-meter hurdles, posting a time of 16.14 seconds. Julia Burkley and Jaslyne Robinson both recorded their best times of the season in the 400-meter hurdles. The pair posted times of 1:06.86 and 1:08.77, respectively.

QUOTABLE
A tough weekend in terms of weather left head coach Shelli Sayers proud of what her athletes accomplished. "The weather was not ideal. Our goal was to control our effort and be competitive against the competition regardless of the conditions," she said.

"On Friday, Austin knew it wasn't going to be a personal record kind of day so her goal was to beat as many people as possible. Sometimes you have to be mentally better than the competition, and she was. Our 5,000-meter ladies were so impressive. The weather had no impact on their races plans and execution. We are so proud of how they attacked it."

The weather didn't lighten up on Saturday but that didn't prevent Sayers from seeing a few more impressive performances from her squad. "The weather was not conducive to fast times, particularly for sprints and hurdles. However, it doesn't stop you from being at your competitive best. We had several that showed up and made the most of this opportunity," she added.

UP NEXT
Radford returns to action next Saturday, but this time they will stay in the Commonwealth. The Highlanders will travel Harrisonburg, Va. for the JMU Invitational.

FOLLOW RADFORD TRACK & FIELD
For more updates on the Radford Track & Field program, check out RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordTrackXC on Twitter, @radfordtrackxc on Instagram and Radford Track & Field / Cross Country on Facebook.

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