2008 Woodie Awards
Sprinters lead the way for Lady 'Cats
Erik Johnson
Issue date: 5/11/07 Section: Sports
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To say that sprinters led the way for a program like the Southwest Baptist women's track and field team is making a very strong statement. The SBU women's track team that traveled to the MIAA Championships was heavily loaded with distance runners, yet light on sprinters and field athletes.
However, thanks to two freshmen, Jennifer Gillespie and Jenny Blair, the sprinters did lead the way for the Lady 'Cats. Gillespie and Blair combined to score 20 of SBU's 35 points for the meet and Gillespie registered the highest finish of anybody on the team.
The meet started well for the SBU women when Blair was their first athlete to step to the line. Blair won her heat of the 400-meter dash preliminaries in a time of 58.1 seconds. Next up for the Lady 'Cats was Gillespie. Gillespie finished second in her heat with a time of 58.86 as both SBU women qualified through to the finals the next day.
Next to compete for SBU was the 800-meter tandem of sophomore Alyssa Maggart and freshman Mallory Roth. In the first heat of the 800 preliminaries, Maggart out-kicked the field to win her heat in a time of 2 minutes, 18.75 seconds. In the third heat, Roth finished second to reigning national-champion sophomore Vanessa Lee (PSU) in a time of 2:21.23. Both Maggart and Roth qualified for finals the next day.
After the 800-meter preliminaries, Gillespie and Blair took to the track again - Gillespie in the 400-meter hurdles and Blair in the 200-meter dash. Gillespie won her preliminary heat in a time of 1:04.87 seconds, and Blair qualified for finals by clocking 25.13 seconds.
The first athlete to score for the women's team was freshman Kristen Colon in the 10,000-meters. Colon finished the 6.2 mile race in 41:21.5 which was good enough for sixth place and All-MIAA honors.
Sunday started for the Lady 'Cats with freshman Chelsea Strahm competing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Strahm ran her best race of the year and just got out-leaned for fourth place. Strahm's fifth place time of 11:34.83 was a personal best that earned her All-MIAA honors.
However, thanks to two freshmen, Jennifer Gillespie and Jenny Blair, the sprinters did lead the way for the Lady 'Cats. Gillespie and Blair combined to score 20 of SBU's 35 points for the meet and Gillespie registered the highest finish of anybody on the team.
The meet started well for the SBU women when Blair was their first athlete to step to the line. Blair won her heat of the 400-meter dash preliminaries in a time of 58.1 seconds. Next up for the Lady 'Cats was Gillespie. Gillespie finished second in her heat with a time of 58.86 as both SBU women qualified through to the finals the next day.
Next to compete for SBU was the 800-meter tandem of sophomore Alyssa Maggart and freshman Mallory Roth. In the first heat of the 800 preliminaries, Maggart out-kicked the field to win her heat in a time of 2 minutes, 18.75 seconds. In the third heat, Roth finished second to reigning national-champion sophomore Vanessa Lee (PSU) in a time of 2:21.23. Both Maggart and Roth qualified for finals the next day.
After the 800-meter preliminaries, Gillespie and Blair took to the track again - Gillespie in the 400-meter hurdles and Blair in the 200-meter dash. Gillespie won her preliminary heat in a time of 1:04.87 seconds, and Blair qualified for finals by clocking 25.13 seconds.
The first athlete to score for the women's team was freshman Kristen Colon in the 10,000-meters. Colon finished the 6.2 mile race in 41:21.5 which was good enough for sixth place and All-MIAA honors.
Sunday started for the Lady 'Cats with freshman Chelsea Strahm competing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Strahm ran her best race of the year and just got out-leaned for fourth place. Strahm's fifth place time of 11:34.83 was a personal best that earned her All-MIAA honors.
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