Story by Zach Scott, Staff writer
Murray State’s track and field team capped of a busy weekend setting multiple personal records, including a new school record.
The Racers had athletes compete in three different meets last week; the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, the Texas State Bobcat Invitational in San Marcos, Texas, and the Joey Haines Invitational in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
At the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, junior sprinters Tamdra Lawrence and Daijah White both set personal records in the 100-meter dash. Lawrence finished with a time of 12.08 seconds and White with a 12.13 finish.
Jabreuna Brimlett, a junior hurdler, also set a new PR in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.66. Her time also put her a top the OVC in the 100-meters this season.
In the Texas State Bobcat Invitational, White topped her 12.13 personal record she set in the Texas Relays with a 12.07 run in the 100-meter.
Brimlett finished first in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.37 seconds. Her time was less than a tenth of a second off from the school record for the event.
Sophmore sprinter Norma Abdur-Rafia, along with White, Brimlett and Lawrence, broke the school record in the 4×100 relay, posting a time of 45.60 seconds.
Aubrey Main, a junior high jumper, set a new PR in the high jump with a mark of 1.65 meters.
Head Coach Adam Kiesler had nothing but praise for the group of girls that broke the school record in San Marcos last weekend.
“This group each individually is probably the fastest group between exchanges that I’ve ever had,” Kiesler said.
Kiesler said he knew that breaking the school record in the 4×100 relay was something Abdur-Rafia, White, Brimlett and Lawrence were capable of.
“The last three meets we got disqualified once, dropped the baton once, and at the Texas relays we weren’t really confident with our exchanges, we all talked, and we put it all together,” Kiesler said.
He continued to say his group is capable of breaking even more records.
“Hopefully they continue to break it a couple more times in the next couple of weeks,” Kiesler said.
In the Joey Haines Invitational, Meagan Smith, a senior distance runner and Caroline Grogan, senior distance runner competed in the 10k race. Smith posted a time of 37:15:00, which was good enough for fourth place. Grogan finished the event with a time of 37:44:63.
After two-straight wins and a strong outing in the large events this weekend, Kiesler is comfortable with the track his team his on.
“The team as a whole is competing with the two wins, they weren’t really big meets, but they did what they were supposed to with that,” Kiesler said, “Overall, I think that we are headed in the right direction.”
After the busy weekend the Racers are taking the weekend off and will be back in action on Saturday, April 14 at the APSU Invitational in Clarksville, Tennessee.