ROCK HILL, S.C. – Following a strong start at the 2023 Big South Championships yesterday, the Radford University women's track & field team pieced together its second consecutive day of solid efforts and now sit fifth in the team standings after Thursday's events. As the squad enters the final day of the league's pinnacle meet tomorrow, multiple Highlanders will have an opportunity to bring back some hardware once the week is over.
Just like they did on Wednesday, the heptathletes got the action started and put the finishing touches on their efforts for this week. Another day of steady performances from the duo of
Kandace McIvor and
Maddie Wright helped them lock up the fifth and sixth spots, respectively.
The conclusion of Thursday's field events led to another name being entered in Radford's record book. On her final triple jump of the day,
Dezmajia Carter posted a career-best leap of 11.11 meters — a mark that slots her in at tenth all time.
Once the Highlanders took to the track, it didn't take long to see a slew of improved personal records be set. The first came from
Breauna Lane when she finished her 400-meter race in 58.57 seconds. The senior's time was quick enough to ensure her a spot in tomorrow's final where she will have her first chance to compete for a conference title.
After qualifying for the 1,500-meter finals last night,
Sophie Magson booked her second trip to tomorrow's finals with an outstanding 800-meter run. The freshman set a new personal record with a time of 2:15.43, the third-fastest of the preliminaries.
Sela Beatty also thrived in her first-ever postseason meet. The Vinton, Va. native registered a new personal-best time in the 100-meter dash.
The final event on Thursday was the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the Highlanders definitely made the most of it.
Savannah Hoff and
Kate McLearen combined for a pair of top-five finishes, adding nine points to Radford's team total.
QUOTABLE
Head coach
Shelli Sayers was glad to see a nice first day be duplicated on the second. "It was another solid day for us. Several folks got the job done in their respective events and advanced to tomorrow's finals. Tomorrow will be about fighting for every spot and scoring as many points as possible."
"I'm very proud of Bre for making her first conference final in the 400-meter event," she added.
UP NEXT
The Highlanders will return to action tomorrow for the third and final day of the 2023 Big South Championships. Field events are scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. while there is a 3:30 p.m. start time for on-track competition.
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For more updates on the Radford Track and Field program, check out RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordTrackXC on Twitter as well as @radfordtrackxc on Instagram and Radford Track & Field / Cross Country on Facebook.
