ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Radford University women's track & field team wrapped up the 2023 Big South Championships with a remarkable performance on Friday. Highlighted by
Chloe Wellings winning the conference championship in the 5,000-meter race, the Highlanders stormed back with 35 points on the final day to secure a fourth-place finish.
The aforementioned Wellings stole the show with her win. After finishing in second in the 10,000-meter race on Wednesday, she captured conference gold with a blistering 5,000-meter performance. She finished the race in 16:56.20 to capture the institution's third conference championship of the year.
The Highlanders opened the scoring early via
Austin Swallow who tallied three points in the javelin. The Milton, Pa. native recorded a 36.57-meter throw to place sixth.
Radford's 4x100-meter relay squad also made an instant impact in terms of scoring once the on-track action began. The team of
Breauna Lane,
Elyssia Fisher,
Dezmajia Carter and
Sela Beatty combined to cross the line in 47.72 seconds, the seventh-fastest time in the school's history.
MegAnne Gilmore posted a new personal record in the 1,500-meter race. The junior's 4:35.73 effort was quick enough for fourth place, giving the Highlanders five more valuable points to their team total.
Sophie Magson also scored in the race, earning two points after crossing the line seventh.
An underlying theme of Radford's squad this year has been the immediate impact that its freshmen have made. That remained true as Magson's second run of the day ended with a seventh-place finish the 800-meter race, adding two points to Radford's column.
A new personal-best time from Lane in the 400-meter dash yesterday was short-lived as the senior ended her collegiate career with a lifetime performance. She came across the line in sixth, finishing in 57.87 seconds.
In the 400-meter hurdle final,
Julia Burkley dropped nearly a second from her preliminary time to earn the seventh spot. The senior's final individual contribution at a conference meet ended with a 1:04.62 effort.
The final event of the championships was the 4x400-meter relay, and it was the group of Burkley, Lane,
Jordan Jackson and Fisher that made history. They finished the race nearly four seconds quicker than they had in any other attempt this season. A final time of 3:51.29 was good enough for a fourth-place finish and the fifth-fastest time in program history.
QUOTABLE
Head coach
Shelli Sayers could not have been more proud of the way her team performed down the stretch. "I am overwhelmed with emotion and awed by our performances over the last three days. We really had to battle right up until the end to secure fourth place."
"I am so proud of this group and how they bet on each other… it was simply outstanding," she added.
POSTSEASON AWARDS
At the conclusion of the meet, the Big South announced it's All-Academic Team and it was Swallow than garnered honors for the red and white. The full All-Academic Team is listed below:
2023 Big South Outdoor Track & Field All-Academic Teams
Samantha Ennis, Campbell, Sr.
Chloe Greene, Charleston Southern, Soph.
Amy Prugh, Gardner-Webb, Sr.
Letizia Marsico, High Point, Jr.
Austin Swallow, Radford, Jr.
Claudia Prieto, UNC Asheville, Gr.
Heaven Allen, USC Upstate, Jr.
Libby Roush, Winthrop, Sr.
Women's Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Claudia Prieto, UNC Asheville, Gr.
FOLLOW RADFORD TRACK & FIELD
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.
