SHAWNEE, Okla. – The Northwestern Oklahoma State University track and field team continued to show growth into the final day of the Great American Conference Outdoor Championships Saturday afternoon, held at Oklahoma Baptist.
Keiazyiah Young and Cayla Smither continued to earn All-GAC finishes as they tacked on Second Team honors in the triple jump at the meet. Young finished the event in fifth place with a new personal record (PR) at 11.45 meters, while Smither was just behind her in sixth at 11.12 meters.
Young and Smither joined Kayla Gourley (10,000-meter race) with Second Team All-GAC marks, and Zarin Goodrich was a First Team All-GAC honoree after winning the javelin championship Friday evening with a meet record.
The 4x400 meter team of Kylee Isbell, Megan Mayfield, Ladasheray Bell and Lashayla Green finished in fifth place in the event with a season best and Second Team All-GAC time of 4:06.22 to set the school record.
Top six finishers received points for their respective teams, with first through third place earning First Team All-GAC and fourth through sixth receiving earning Second Team honors.
Northwestern finished the GAC Outdoor Championships with 19 points and in seventh place ahead of Southwestern and Southern Nazarene in the program's first season since the 80's. Northwestern point earners included: Goodrich (10; javelin); Gourley (4, 10,000-meter run); 4x400 meter relay (2); Young (2, triple jump); Smither (1, triple jump).
To go along with the All-Conference winners, 12 new personal best marks were set by Northwestern athletes on Saturday, including Young's triple jump performance.
"We couldn't be more proud of how the team came together and performed at the GAC Championships," said head coach Jill Lancaster. "Nearly every athlete set a personal best at the Championships. At the end of the day, that's all we can ask for."
Lancasted added, "The ladies represented the University exceptionally well."
Alexa Leyva joined Young with a new PR in the triple jump with a mark of 10.64 meters. Leyva also set a new best in the long jump at 5.06 meters, as did Young with 5.09 meters in the event.
Smither added a PR in the long jump with a top ten finish at 5.23 meters and in the high jump (1.42 meters).
In running events, Camille Lear had one of the biggest PR jumps on Saturday in the 5000-meter run as she finished at the 21:13.51 mark to best her previous mark by 43 seconds. Jessalyn Rivet-Tissot, who PR'd in the 3000-meter steeplechase on Friday, added another in the 5000-meter run at 20:06.21.
Melissa Perez set a new personal best by nearly 10 seconds in the 1500-meter run at 6:07.13, Journey LeBeau (800-meter run; 2:29.89) and Megan Mayfield (400-meter dash; 1:01.34) each cut their times by four seconds and Gina Wilson set a new best in the 100-meter hurdles at 16.49.
"Each of the distance runners set a new PR at the conference championships," said associate head coach Brock Hime, who specializes in distance running. "They were able to realize that their hard work paid off. When senior Kayla Gourley earned all-conference in the 10K, it truly summarized this weekend for the group."
Gourley shaved seven minutes of her personal best in the 10K when she finished fourth in the event Friday evening.
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