The Murray State women’s track & field team finished in fourth place at the OVC Indoor Championships hosted by Eastern Illinois on Friday and Saturday. The Racers finished with a total of 87 team points. EIU finished just ahead of the Racers with 88 points, Tennessee State was second with 95 points and Southeast Missouri was crowned team champion with a total of 101 points.
Highlighting the day for the Racers was Sharda Bettis’ school record in the 60-meter hurdles. Bettis took home the OVC title in the event with a career-best time of 8.44. Bettis placed fifth in the 60 for MSU as well. LaShea Shaw was fourth in the 60 hurdles, running a new PR time of 8.63.
All-American Alexis Love took home a pair of second-place finishes on Saturday for the Racers. Love set a new season-best time in the 60 dash with a time of 7.53 in the event. Love followed that up with a time of 24.30 in the 200.
Tonia Pratt followed up her title on Friday in the weight throw with a career-high toss of 47′-3.75” in the shot put on Saturday and placed second for the Racers. Kiara Austin also registered a new PR, placing fourth in the triple jump with a jump of 38′-5”.
The Racers got a pair of top-10 finishes in distance events. Emma Gilmore ran a career-best time of 2:16.55 in the 800 meters and placed fourth, while Abbie Oliver broke her PR in the 3,000 with a time of 10:23.77 and finished seventh at the meet.
Murray State finished the meet with a fourth-place finish in the 4×400 meter relay. The team of Natalie Pattin, Bettis, Shaw and Love finished with a time of 3:55.20 in the relay.
The Racers will travel to Birmingham, Ala., next weekend for the UAB Last Chance Meet in their final meet before the NCAA Indoor Championships March 8-9.
Story courtesy of Sports Information.