Women's track and field finishes fifth at MAC Indoor Championships
Central Michigan women's track and field finished its indoor season with a well-rounded team performance.
The Chippewas finished fifth of 12 teams at the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships this weekend at Kent State.
Close behind Buffalo's fourth-place finish with 58 points, the team scored 52 points. Kent State won the conference title with a score of 127.50, leagues ahead of EMU in third place with 91.5.
"I thought we had a great meet today on both sides," said director of track and field Mark Guthrie. "I thought we responded well and both teams were really competitive. The student athletes learn lessons and keep moving forward and continue to get better one day at a time."
Senior Shawntoreah Turk soared past the finish line, breaking a MAC record in the women's 400m dash with a time of 53.97, receiving 10 points for CMU's team. Turk's time surpassed LaTanya Nobles' time of 54.94 back in 2007.
Turk not only has broken her first MAC record at the MAC Indoor Championships, she also broken a school record at the Akron Invitational Feb. 7, with a time of 53.98.
Junior Bridget Doughty placed fifth in the women's 400-meter dash with finishing in 55.27. Sophomore Alyssa Dyer finished eighth out of 20 in the women's one-mile run with a final time of 4:56.55.
In the high jump, senior Megan Heffner placed third and sophomore Shaya Wilkerson received fifth. Both girls scored points for CMU's team.
In the women's 3000-meter dash, both sophomore Breanne Lesnar and freshman Kelly Schubert placed in the top five. Lesnar placed third with a finishing time of 9:48.15, while Schubert placed fourth with a time of 9:49.34.
Lesnar, Krista Parks and Schubert all competed in the 5000-meter run. Lesnar placed fourth with a final time of 16:54.62. Parks placed ninth, while Schubert placed 10th.
Junior Ravyn Baxter, freshman Kelsey Ross, Doughty and Turk participated in the 4x400m relay and received third place behind Buffalo State and Western Michigan. The 4x400 team concluded with a time of 3:46.15.
"It was a big leap for them (tonight)," Guthrie said. "In general, as a team, it was a great night."
The Chippewas will kick off the outdoor season on March 28 at the Louisville Open in Louisville, Ky.
