Track & Field takes 2nd at Montreat Invite

Black Mountain, NC - The Columbia College Track & Field team traveled to Black Mountain, NC on Friday to compete in the Montreat College Invitational.The Koalas finished 2nd in scoring among 20 teams competing in the meet. Columbia College finished just behind the University of the Cumberlands, but finished ahead of conference foes Milligan, Tennessee Weslayan, Union, and Montreat.

First-year Kelsey White Kennedy qualified for the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships with an "A" standard time of 14.60 seconds in the 100 meter hurdles. She is the first ever outdoor track & field national qualifier in the program's history. Kelsey then ran in the 400 meter hurdles, later that day , and finished in 1st place in a time of 1:08.02. Both of Kelsey's race times are new school records.

The team of Katie Kopp, Helen Taylor, Alyssa Waibel, and Lauren Glencross opened the met on Friday night by setting a new school record in the 4x800 meter relay. Kopp, Waibel, and Glencross would later return on Saturday with Julisa Echeverria to close out the meet with a new school record in the 4x400 meter relay.

The school record in the 4x100 meter relay would also fall. The team of Kori Kunkle, Amber Boyd, Yasmine Keeley, and Alexandria Williams would clock a new school record time of 49.28, just missing the National "B" standard by 0.96 seconds. Kori Kunkle would also set a new school record in the 200 meter dash in a time of 26.35 seconds.

Senior Amber Waynick set a new school record in the discus throw with a distance of 33.02 meters. Senior Annika Wicht set a new school record in the 5000 meter racewalk with a time of 29:51.76.

The Koalas next track meet is Friday, April 6th at Southern Wesleyan University for the Susan Rouse Invitational.