Sophomore Emily Roberts (Fredericktown, Ohio) finished first out of 104 runners in the 5,000 meters Friday night to lead the University of Southern Indiana women’s track & field team to a 13th-place finish at the Washington University Invitational.
Roberts broke Heather Cooksey’s 11-year old school record (16:32.97) in the event with her time of 16 minutes, 31.17 seconds. Roberts’ time ranks first, nationally, and was less than six seconds off an NCAA Division II automatic qualifying time.
Joining Roberts with an NCAA II provisional qualifying time was senior Jessica Reeves (Midland, Michigan). Reeves finished sixth in the 5,000 meters with a time of 17:09.86.
The Screaming Eagles, who finished 13th as a team with 13 points, return to action April 14-16 when they compete at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, California, and the SIU Edwardsville Gateway Invitational in Edwardsville, Illinois.
