Day 1 story
MOREHEAD, Ky. – At this point in the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship, Morehead State coach
Clay Dixon could not be giddier about his team. After two days at the Ralph Korte Stadium at SIUE in Edwardsville, Ill., the Eagles have tallied 15 total points after just having 13 entries.
In just four finals on the track, MSU has scored in all four events and all five entries in those races finished in the top eight.
The only real event in which the Eagles expected to challenge for the podium where they fell short is the men's 800-meter run.
And even in that race, MSU's top runner, sophomore
Toby Cook, finished ninth by two one-hundredths of a second!
For Dixon, anything else Morehead State accomplishes from here forward is just gravy.
But, he and the Eagles will get extra helpings as at least one individual is guaranteed to score on Saturday's final day, while nine more entrants will look to add to that total.
"(It was a) good day two. (The) only thing that could have topped it off is if Toby advanced in the 800m," Dixon said. "I think (almost) everyone performed better than they were ranked."
Friday's big story was in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, where all three Eagles earned a spot on the podium.
Combined, junior
Jarrett Forrest, sophomore
Peyton Fairchild and freshman
Abby Taylor sliced 34.5 seconds off their collective "pr's".
Forrest and Fairchild finished in fifth and sixth, respectively in the men's event.
"The race started out with an honest pace. I managed to get right in front of the big pack, which paid off as people were falling on barriers," Forrest said. "After a lot of pushing and fighting for positioning, I fell into a small pack of guys for third to fifth place. After settling in it was just a battle the last mile for the podium spot.
"I felt good on my jumps and was able to kick for an 11-second 'pr' and a fifth-place finish," he added.
Forrest was equally as happy with Fairchild's performance.
"It felt really good to finish and look back to see my teammate finishing right behind with a big 'pr'," he said. "It was very rewarding to see both of us succeed and show other teams that we are here to compete. (I'm) looking forward to next year."
Forrest finished in 9:43.36, while Fairchild crossed the line in 9:49.50. Fairchild chopped six seconds off his previous best mark. It was the first time either had scored at the OVC Championship.
"(The) steeplechase was fun to watch. Jarrett went for it and stayed in the front pack. Peyton worked his way through and broke the others," Dixon said. "(It was) great to see 'pr's as well."
Fairchild dropped time in all four of his steeplechase races this year.
"It started out pretty quickly so I decided to hold back and try to make a push late in the race. Barriers were crowded the whole way and with another person falling in the water on the first lap, it was evident that it was going to be a crowded and physical race," he said.
"With four laps left, I started to make my move and was able to pick off one EIU guy. Then shortly after, I passed his teammate and secured my spot. In the last two laps, it was a fight to make sure they did not catch back up and pass me again," he continued. "At the end of the day, I'm happy to score a point for the team and to run a 'pr'."
Josh Beam, a sophomore from Little Rock, crossed the line first in 9:11.04.
Taylor's performance was perhaps the most impressive. In just her third steeplechase, she dropped 17.48 seconds off her 'pr' and claimed eighth in 12:01.32. She entered the race with the 11th-fastest time in the conference and was seeded 10th among those who toed Friday's starting line.
"Abby sat in eighth the entire way and ran a smart race," Dixon said. "She broke away with about 600m to go and looked strong."
Taylor set her sights high for the event.
"My main goal was to score points for the team and to run under 12 minutes," she said. "Heading into the race, the plan was to run the first few laps conservatively but with the lead pack in view. As I progressed through the race, coach Dixon and I talked about slowly picking off a few girls to surprise some people and finish a few spots ahead of where I was predicted to finish."
Like Forrest and Fairchild, Taylor dropped time in each of her races leading up to the conference championship.
"When the gun went off, I was towards the back of the pack (in) 11th or 12th place, making it difficult to clear all the barriers smoothly with so many competitors in front of me," she said.
However, as the race unfolded, Taylor was gradually able to assert herself.
"For the first couple of laps, I stayed near the back of the pack to run more conservatively. Soon the lead pack began to separate and I made the move to go with them, moving up to ninth," she said. "For the middle few laps, I sat on the girl in eighth place waiting for my window to pass. With two and a half laps to go, I made my move into eighth place and continued to surge in order to put a gap between me and ninth place. With one lap left, I saw the clock and knew I could run close to sub-12.
"Overall, I was very excited with how my race went and I enjoyed competing in the most competitive steeple race I've ever run," she summarized.
Southern Indiana senior Kara Martin won the meet in 10:52.22.
The Eagles had four men and one woman in the 800m.
For the second straight year, sophomore
Lucy Singleton advanced to a final. On Friday, she was seventh with a 'pr' of 2:14.04. She was fourth in her heat, but earned the right to run again in the event's finals, which will take place tomorrow at 3:15 p.m. ET.
However, she will first compete in the 1,500-meter run, which will begin at 2 p.m. ET. Last year, she finished seventh in the race in 4:43.12.
"(I'm) incredibly happy with Lucy getting in the finals of the 800m," Dixon said.
Southeast Missouri's Katie Wegmann posted the top qualifying time of 2:12.20.
Cook finished fourth in his heat of the men's 800m qualifier in 1:54.71, but a critical two one-hundredths of a second behind SEMO junior Justin Splitt. Cook's time held up for ninth place, while Splitt took the last spot in Saturday's final.
Sophomore
Wes Grogan was 14th overall in the race in 1:56.21, while sophomore
Sam Lucas was 22nd in 1:59.61 and redshirt freshman
Micah Gray was 23rd in 2:02.26. Cook, Grogan and Lucas each posted season bests in the event.
"(It was) tough luck for Toby in the 800m," Dixon said. "He ran the race right, but came up short. At least he came out with a 'pr'. (I'm) happy for Sam as well going under two minutes for the first time ever."
Eastern Illinois junior Adam Swanson's 1:52.28 was the top qualifying time.
The day began with freshman
Natalia Davis running the 100-meter dash qualifier. She fared better than Thursday's 200-meter dash, taking 17th and going under 13 seconds for just the second time with a 12.98.
"She competed well. (She) had a strong start and beat a few girls out in the end," Dixon noted.
Tennessee State freshman Serenity Harry advanced to the finals with the fastest time (11.83).
After two days, Southeast Missouri leads both the men's and women's team standings. SEMO's men have 124 points, followed by Little Rock at 54, Eastern Illinois at 51, Lindenwood at 24, UT Martin at 22, Southern Indiana at 10, Morehead State and Tennessee State tied at nine, and SIUE at six.
SEMO's women have 87 points, with Little Rock at 53, Eastern Illinois at 46, SIUE at 31, Tennessee Tech at 27, Lindenwood at 24, Southern Indiana at 21, Tennessee State at 10, and MSU and UT Martin each with six.
Competition concludes on Saturday with 26 finals. The day will begin with the men's shot put, men's high jump and women's triple jump at noon ET. MSU's first race will be the 1,500m at 2 p.m. ET.
In addition to Singleton, the remainder of the Eagles will be in two events, the 5,000-meter run and the 4x400-meter relay. The men's 5K will be at 4 p.m. ET and include junior
Justin Chavez, and sophomores
Justin Bland,
Garrett Watts and
Kyler Stewart.
Sophomores
Cloe Copas,
Isabella Copher and
Laikin Tarlton will represent the MSU women. Their race will begin at 4:45 p.m. ET.
The meet's final event will be the 4x400m. The men will run at 5:15 p.m. ET, while the women's start time is 5:25 p.m. Dixon has entered Gray, Grogan, Lucas and Cook in the former race.
To follow Saturday's action, live results and updated scoring will be available at the link:
http://www.cfpitiming.com/2023_Outdoor_Season/OVC_OTF_2023/OVC_Outdoor_2023.html, while it can also be viewed live on ESPN+ at the link:
https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=0116d1f3-6c7d-4142-aa98-f6a6527d44c4.
