GOLDEN SUNS CROSS COUNTRY RUNNERS FARE WELL AT
RHODES COLLEGE OUTDOOR TRACK INVITATIONAL

        RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech’s Women’s Cross Country runners recently performed well at the Rhodes College Outdoor Track Invitational held in Memphis on March 17.

Tech, who runs cross country during the fall season, runs in several outdoor track meets during the spring to keep in shape and also train for next cross country season.

“We usually go and try and compete in three or four outdoor tracks meets in the region during the spring,” Tech Cross Country Coach Tom Aspel said. “It allows our kids to continue to train, improve and compete on a competitive basis during the offseason.”

At the Rhodes Meet, redshirt freshman Eimear O’Brien (Sligo, Ireland) set a school record in the 1,500-meter run (4:40.54) and with that school-record time, she also was a provisional qualifier for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In addition to O’Brien’s school-record performance, junior Molly Fleming (Cabot, Ark.) set a new school-record in the javelin (14.24 meters).

O’Brien finished second in the 1,500-meter run and also finished second in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:21.11, while Fleming finished 19th overall in the javelin. Other finishers at the meet for Tech included sophomore Brianna Greene (Harrison, Ark.), who finished 26th in the 1,500-meter run (5:21.46) and 13th in the 800-meter run (2:31.12) and sophomore Kayla Waldrup (El Dorado, Ark.), who finished 22nd in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 20:20.

          Aspel said his runners will next compete at the John McDonnell Invitational hosted by the University of Arkansas on April 21 in Fayetteville and will conclude by season by competing at the NCAA South Regional Meet on May 4-5 in Searcy, Ark.

           -- Tech Athletics --