MOREHEAD, Ky. – Morehead State coach Clay Dixon has entered eight Eagles in eight events for the two-day Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship, which will take place Wednesday and Thursday at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala. It will be the fifth time in six years the meet will be held at the venue.
Day one competition begins with the men's heptathlon's 60-meter dash at 10 a.m. ET. The second day opens with the women's pentathlon at 10 a.m. ET.
The championship will continue through Thursday with the awards presentation scheduled for 5 p.m. ET.
Since MSU does not officially sponsor a men's indoor track and field program, all eight representatives are women. All 10 conference members will participate in the competition for one or both genders.
Last year, the Eagles finished 10th at the meet. Murray State won the women's competition, while Southeast Missouri captured the men's title. The top three women's finishers last February have since left the conference. The highest-placing squad which will compete is SEMO, which placed fourth.
Due to Covid-19, there was no championship meet held in 2021. Since resurrecting its indoor track and field program in 2017, MSU has been 10th once (2022), 11th twice (2020 and 2019) and 12th twice (2018 and 2017). Morehead State has never won the team title. Its last individual champion was Karen Lutes, who won both the 3000m and 5000m races in 2003.
MSU's last's meet was the Marshall Invitational, which took place on Feb. 10-11. The Eagles were eighth at that event.
Dixon's objective is for his squad to compete to the best of its abilities.
"(To) place as high as we can in each event is the goal," he said. "Scoring points is always good, but also just placing higher than what they are seeded in each race or improving on everyone's previous performances this season; those are the indicators of doing well."
The first event which will include an Eagle is the 60m, where freshman
Natalia Davis is entered with a time of 8.22. She will run in the fourth heat. The first race of the group is slated to begin at 4:40 p.m. ET.
The next race is the 800-meter run, where sophomore
Lucy Singleton (2:16.42) is one of the favorites. Junior
Mary Alice Thornburg (2:31.25) also is entered. Thornburg will run in the first heat, while Singleton will be in the second. There are only 15 runners scheduled to compete, so it will be one of the best opportunities for the Eagles to score points. The first heat is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. ET.
Davis will return for the 200-meter dash at 5:30 p.m. ET. She will run in the third heat. Her top time this season is 27.03.
At 5:50 p.m. ET, the single-heat 5,000-meter run will begin. Sophomore
Isabella Copher will be the team's representative in the 18-person race. Her top time this season is 19:17.94.
The day's final event is the distance medley relay. It will be the first time this season the Eagles will compete in the race.
Sophomore
Laikin Tarlton will run the first leg (1,200 meters), with freshman
Christiana Lytle next (400 meters), freshman
Abby Taylor (800 meters) as the third leg and Singleton (1,600 meters) as the closer. Nine teams will have entries.
"Lucy is seeded fifth in the 800m and Laikin is 10th in the 3,000m. We (also) have a good opportunity to score in the distance medley relay," Dixon said.
The Eagles return on Thursday for three more preliminary events. The mile starts off the day for the Blue and Gold at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Sophomore
Cloe Copas (5:33.49) and Taylor (5:24.10) are both in the first heat.
Finals will be held in five events after the mile and before the next prelim race. Included in that group is the 60m at 2:50 p.m. ET, the 800m at 3:10 p.m. ET and the 200m at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Tarlton will toe the line in the 3,000-meter run, which will begin at 3:45 p.m. ET. Her top time is 10:26.25. She will be in the second heat. Twenty-three individuals are slated to compete.
The meet's final event is the 4x400-meter relay. Singleton, Thornburg, Lytle and Copas will represent Morehead State.
Five of the Eagles competed at last year's OVC Championship. Copas, Singleton and Tarlton will be in the same event as 2022. Copas was 10th in the mile in 5:26.95, Singleton was ninth in the 800m in 2:17.95 and Tarlton was 13th in the 3,000m in 10:31.04. In addition, Copher was 20th in the 3,000m in 11:08.31. The Eagles also had two relay entries.
Sierra Kelley, Singleton,
Riliegh Owens and
Keana Meriwether were 10th in the 4x400m in 4:11.28; while Owens, Kelley, Thornburg and Tarlton were ninth in the DMR in 12:45.30 – the second fastest time in school history.
"(It) should be a good two days of racing. The team is looking forward to it," Dixon said.
Live results can be found at the link:
http://www.milesplit.live/meets/516415. Both days also will be streamed live on the paid service ESPN+. Wednesday's link is:
https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=28d58e85-cff8-450c-974e-540ab89d5139. Thursday's link is:
https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=10424211-571f-466e-9c4f-f38bb27aac24.
