Complete Results

Cullowhee, N.C. – The Jacksonville State track and field team tuned up for the upcoming 2016 Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a third-place finish at the Western Carolina Invitational.

The team finish was fueled by career best finish by six different Gamecocks, including senior Whitley Towns re-writing the program's 800 meter record.  Towns, who already owns the record, posted a time of 2:10.48 to win the event.  Her previous school record was 2:10.62, which she set on April 16 of this year at the South Alabama Invitational.  Her time ranks fourth in the OVC.  Dayja Simon collected points with an eighth-place finish with her time of 2:22.82.

Sophomore Kayla Thompson turned in a pair of top-two finishes in the meet.  Thompson had a career-best 24.27 to claim gold in the 200 meter dash and then returned to the track for the 100 meter event.  The Brandon, Mississippi-native was just shy of her second win of the day with a mark of 11.96 in the 100 meter event.

Junior Ju-ells McLeod reached the medal stand after finishing second in the 5,000 meter run.  McLeod clocked a career-best 18:28.62 in the event, just off the pace set by Sarah Heisner of UNC Asheville (18:22.82).

In field events, freshman Brittany Cook posted a career-best leap in the triple jump with a mark of 39'5.25 to win the event.  Sophomore Laura Sewell had a career day in the pole vault with a mark at 11"6 to finish fourth.  Samantha Patterson finished fifth with a jump of 10"6.

The 2016 OVC Track and Field Championships will take place on May13-14 in Nashville, Tennessee, hosted by Tennessee State University.