CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo.—University of Southern Indiana Women’s Track & Field racked up a combined 44 points in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters en route to a seventh-place finish at the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Championships this week.
Freshman Hadessah Austin won both races and was, once again, named the OVC Freshman of the Year—Austin was the OVC Indoor Track & Field Freshman of the Year in February.
After the Screaming Eagles saw a pair of runners—senior Audrey Comastri and freshman Maggie Smith—qualify for the finals in the 1,500 meters, USI churned out an impressive finish in the 10,000 meters Thursday night.
USI went 1-2-3 in the 10k, with sophomore Ellie Hall and senior Cameron Hough following Austin across the finish line.
Comastri, junior Emily Rempe and freshman Abrielle Richard secured berths in the finals of the 800 meters with strong efforts in the prelims on Friday.
Following the 800 meters, USI secured three more points as sophomore Sara Livingston and freshman Amber Fusner finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
On Saturday, Comastri got the scoring started for USI with a sixth-place finish in the 1,500 meters. She led for a majority of the race but faded in the final lap.
Comastri returned later in the day for an eighth-place finish in the finals of the 800 meters. USI had a solid scoring effort in the 800 meters as Rempe and Richard placed third and seventh, respectively.
Austin cruised to the victory in the 5,000 meters, while Hough and Hall finished third and fifth respectively.
As a team, USI finished with 59 points, just four points behind sixth-place Lindenwood and 13 behind SIU Edwardsville and Tennessee Tech for fourth place.
OVC Female Track Athlete of the Year: Sa’Nijah Houston, Lindenwood
OVC Female Field Athlete of the Year: Anna Thomason, Southeast Missouri
OVC Female Freshman of the Year: Hadessah Austin, Southern Indiana
OVC Women’s Coach of the Year: Eric Crumpecker, Southeast Missouri
OVC Female Athlete of the Championship: Anna Thomason, Southeast Missouri
