Complete Results

MOBILE, Ala. – Last weekend Jacksonville State distance runner Whitley Towns broke her own program record in the 1,500 meter event, on Saturday the senior erased her own record she held in the 800 meter run after winning the event at the South Alabama Invitational.

As a team, JSU finished fifth among 14 teams with 76.5 points.  The field at USA featured Kennesaw State, who won the meet, South Alabama, Troy and Mississippi State.

Towns, the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Female Track Athlete of the Week, claimed gold in the event after recording a new JSU program mark of 2:10.62.  She established a new program mark in the event at the 2015 OVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 2:11.77.  The Boaz, Alabama native was the best in a crowded field of 26 and finished ahead of two individuals from Southeastern Conference foe MSU.

Towns was not the only Gamecock to get in the record book as freshman Courtney Bennett erased her previous program best in the discus on Saturday with a toss of 158'4" to finish third among collegiate participants.

Sophomore Kayla Thomas clocked a career best in the 100 meter dash, clocking a time of 11.96 to claim silver in the event.  She returned to the track to reach the medal podium, placing second in the 200 meter run with a mark of 24.62.  Junior Victoria Dumas had a season best 1:03.98 to finish fifth in the 400 meter hurdles.

JSU will have two more meets before the 2016 OVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in May beginning with next weekend's visit to Auburn, Alabama for the Auburn Invitational.