MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Junior Alex Morris came within less than a second of setting the women's 1,500-meter school record and two seconds shy of the 5K mark to highlight a split-squad weekend for the Morehead State track and field teams. Morris, sophomore Hannah Bailey and junior Erica Parks participated in three meets in California, while the rest of the women's team and men's team competed at the Centre (Ky.) Twilight Invitational.
Morris clocked the 1,500-meter run in a personal-record time of 4:38.25 Saturday at the Beach Invitational in Norwalk, Calif. On Friday, she finished eighth among 138 runners in the 5K with a time of 16:56.82 at the Bryan Clay Invitational hosted by Asuza Pacific. Amy Beatty (1999) holds the MSU 5K school standard, while Susi Anderson (2000) is the record holder in the 1,500 meter event.
Parks finished in 4:52.92 for the 1,500-meters at the Beach event, while Bailey ran the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 11:36.46 at the Clay Invitational. Parks also competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Mt. Sac Relays on Thursday.
The men's team events were highlighted by second, third and fourth place finishes in the 5K at Centre Friday night. Junior transfer Jorge Gil-Juarez took second with a personal-record time of 15:07.96, while junior Evan Childers was next at 15:22.85. Freshman Corey Tooke established a personal-best with a time of 15:23.53. Fellow freshman Grayson Brookshire turned in a top-10 effort in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:00.20.
Sophomore Taylor Montgomery topped her previous personal-best in the 5K and finished fourth with a time of 18:36.52, while sophomore Mackenzie Butler was fifth in the 1,500-meter run (4:59.66).
Both teams are set to compete next at the Miami RedHawk Invitational Saturday.
