Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU track & field team concluded the first day of the 2021 Horizon League Indoor Track & Field Championships Friday in a tie for fourth place with Purdue Fort Wayne, scoring 21 points. Milwaukee (52.83 points) sits in first place, followed by Youngstown State (45.66) and Oakland (25.5).
In her fourth competition as a student-athlete at RMU, junior
Keturah Hunter broke a school record that had stood for 16 years and in the process claimed the program's first Horizon League individual championship.
Hunter posted a toss of 18.77 meters (61'7") in the weight throw on her second attempt of the competition, which stood to claim gold. It broke the mark of 61'6.25" that was held by Nicole Downing (2001-05).
Earning silver in the weight throw for the Colonials was senior
Yessie Valencia, who posted a personal record distance of 18.12 meters (59'5.50"). Thanks to the performances from Hunter and Valencia in the weight throw, RMU scored 18 points.
RESULTS: 2021 Horizon League Indoor Track & Field Championships (Day One)
In the pentathlon, sophomore
Lauren Chappell scored for the Colonials, finishing with 3,000 points. She is the second student-athlete in program history to reach the 3,000-point plateau, joining former Colonial Tara Van Schie (2010-14), who owns the school record with 3,498 points.
On the track as part of the pentathlon, Chappell posted a time of 9.32 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles while crossing the finishing line with a time of 2:43.30 in the 800-meter. In field events, Chappell finished at 1.51 meters (4'11.50") in the high jump, 4.80 meters (15'9") in the long jump and 9.27 meters (30'5") in the shot put.
Also competing for RMU during the first day of the #HLTF Indoor Championships was senior
Martha Gardner. In the 5,000-meter, Gardner posted a time of 18:07.09 to finish 11th. The time shaved over 50 seconds off her personal record.
RMU continues competition Saturday, Feb. 27, with sessions two and three live on ESPN3. Events Saturday include the 60-meter dash, 400-meter dash, 800-meter, shot put and long jump.
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