Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU track & field team continued action in the 2021 Horizon League Outdoor Track & Field Championships Saturday in Youngstown, Ohio. The Colonials sit fourth with 56.5 points. The host
Penguins sit atop the leaderboard with 166.5 points, followed by Milwaukee (96) and Oakland (78).
ALL GOLD EVERYTHING
Junior
Keturah Hunter continues to hunt down all competition in the year 2021, and Saturday was no different in the hammer throw. On her second attempt of the competition, Hunter recorded a distance of 56.38 meters (185'0"). The mark outlasted Sammy Dyson (55.80) of Youngstown State and Cecilia Petrie (50.52) of Milwaukee for Hunter's fifth individual crown in the hammer throw in as many competitions during the outdoor season.
HAMMER TIME
RMU scored 18 points in the hammer throw Saturday. In addition to the performance by Hunter, senior
Yessie Valencia finished fourth and senior
Estelle Katende placed sixth. Valencia uncorked a distance of 49.37 meters (162'0"), while Katende finished at 45.72 meters (150'0").
FANTASTIC FROSH
Freshman
Gracie Parker had a successful day Saturday, clocking in with a time of 14.56 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles. She tied for fourth in the event with fellow rookie Roseferla Philoge of Oakland. Of the eight student-athletes to score in the 100-meter hurdles Saturday, six were competing in their first #HLTF Outdoor Championships as rookies.
ON THE TRACK
Competing in her final collegiate championships Saturday, senior
Martha Gardner scored for RMU in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing seventh with a time of 11:37.07. Elsewhere on the track, sophomore
Elicia Moore qualified for the finals Sunday in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.84 seconds.
RELAY RACES
Parker and Moore were also part of RMU's 4x100-meter relay team that placed seventh and scored two points Saturday for the Colonials. Parker ran the anchor leg, while Moore ran the second leg. Leading off for the Colonials in the relay was junior
Tara Gologram, while sophomore
Lauren Chappell ran third.
BUCK SHOT
Katende also scored for RMU Saturday in the shot put, finishing eighth with a throw of 12.21 meters (40'0.75"). Finishing one spot ahead of Katende in the event was sophomore
Alijah Caul, who notched a mark of 12.78 meters (41'11.25") to score two points.
OPEN THE VAULT
In her final championship performance as a collegian, senior
Kaitlyn Hawkins recorded a leap of 3.51 meters (11'6.25") in the pole vault for the Colonials Saturday. In the same event, freshman
Makena Nesbitt finished at 3.21 meters (10'6.25").
UP NEXT
The 2021 Horizon League Outdoor Track & Field Championships conclude Sunday. Action begins at 10:00 a.m. with the triple jump, followed by the high jump at 11:00 a.m.
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