EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana senior Audrey Comastri has been named the Ohio Valley Conference Female Track Athlete of the Week in an announcement by the league office Tuesday afternoon.
 
Comastri earns her first-career OVC weekly honor after leading and impressive charge for the Screaming Eagles in the 1,500 meters last Friday at the Billy Hayes Invitational. She finished the Invitational race in the 1,500 meters with a personal-best time of four minutes, 26.37 seconds.
 
Her time was just .22 seconds away from USI Hall of Famer Heather Cooksey’s all-time mark of 4:26.15, which was set at the 2005 Little State Championships. Comastri’s time ranks second all-time at USI and is at the top of the Ohio Valley Conference 1,500-meter performance list.
 
The weekly award marks the second time during the outdoor season that USI Women’s Track & Field has earned OVC Track Athlete of the Week honors. Freshman Hadessah Austin was named co-OVC Track Athlete of the Week as well as OVC Freshman of the Week on April 2.
 
USI competes at the OVC Outdoor Championships Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The Eagles own the top times in the OVC in the 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters; and have the second-fastest time logged in the 800 meters.
 
Austin leads the OVC in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters with respective times of 16:23.45 and 34:30.10. She captured the OVC indoor championships in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters in February.
 
In addition to the 1,500 meters, Comastri ranks second in the 800 meters with her school-record time of 2:11.19.
 
The OVC Outdoor Championships are being hosted by Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and can be watched on ESPN+ with a subscription. Live Results and meet information links can be accessed at USIScreamingEagles.com.