Troy University Athletics
Monday, February 24
Birmingham, Ala.
All Day
Troy University
vs
Sun Belt Championship
Day One Recap: 2020 Sun Belt Indoor Championships
2/24/2020 9:28:00 PM | Track & Field
Birmingham, Ala. – The Troy women's indoor track and field team closed out a successful first day at the 2020 Sun Belt Track and Field Championships Monday in Birmingham, Ala. The Trojans sit in third place with 20 points in the team race after day one.
Macki Walsh became the first Trojan to reach the podium at the championships, taking home the bronze in the 5000m with a time of 17:13.41. Troy's distance medley – comprised of Gemma Finch, Madison Kennedy, Edita Sklenska and Tanner Guest – closed out the day in a big way with a gold medal in the event.
"We brought 18 women to this event and had 18 perform at a high level," director Marc Davis said. "We have a finalist in every event tomorrow, which I believe is a first for us. Bottom line is, we need to finish what we started. Overall, I'm pleased with day one. It's time to rest up and come back tomorrow ready to roll."
Day one consisted mostly of preliminary events and the Trojans came through in a big way. The 800m was one of Troy's strongest events of the day. Guest posted the fastest qualifying time with a 2:15.03 and Finch wasn't far behind with a 2:15.59, the third-fastest qualifying time. Sklenska became Troy's third finalist in the event with a 2:16.92.
Three Trojans - Jasmine Riley, Rayne Duhart and Maya Kelly - qualified for the finals in the 60m dash. Riley posted the third-fastest time in qualifying with a 7.60 in the event. Alexis Garrett had a strong outing in the 60m hurdles with a qualifying time of 8.63, the second-best time across three preliminary heats.
Precious Ogba will represent the Trojans in two finals Tuesday afternoon. The junior qualified for the 200m dash with a time of 24.48 and the 400m dash with a 56.25. Riley will join Ogba in the finals of the 200m while Kennedy will run alongside Ogba in the 400m.
On the field side, Samara Nelson finished fifth in the shot put with a mark of 13.71m.
Troy's day two action begins at 2 p.m. Tuesday with Tanner Guest in the finals of the mile. Fans can follow all the action at the 2020 Sun Belt Indoor Championships on ESPN+. Schedules, live results and standings can be found here.
DAY ONE MEDAL WINNERS
5000m
Macki Walsh – Bronze, 17:13.41
Distance Medley
Finch, Kennedy, Sklenska, Guest – Gold, 11:55.44
FINALS QUALIFIERS
60m Dash
Jasmine Riley, 7.60Q
Rayne Duhart, 7.65Q
Maya Kelly, 7.65q
60m Hurdles
Alexis Garrett, 8.63Q
200m Dash
Precious Ogba, 24.48q
Jasmine Riley, 24.79q
400m Dash
Precious Ogba, 56.24q
Madison Kennedy, 56.69q
800m
Tanner Guest, 2:15.03Q
Gemma Finch, 2:15.59Q
Edita Sklenska, 2:16.92Q
Mile
Tanner Guest, 5:00.58Q
TEAM STANDINGS
Macki Walsh became the first Trojan to reach the podium at the championships, taking home the bronze in the 5000m with a time of 17:13.41. Troy's distance medley – comprised of Gemma Finch, Madison Kennedy, Edita Sklenska and Tanner Guest – closed out the day in a big way with a gold medal in the event.
"We brought 18 women to this event and had 18 perform at a high level," director Marc Davis said. "We have a finalist in every event tomorrow, which I believe is a first for us. Bottom line is, we need to finish what we started. Overall, I'm pleased with day one. It's time to rest up and come back tomorrow ready to roll."
Day one consisted mostly of preliminary events and the Trojans came through in a big way. The 800m was one of Troy's strongest events of the day. Guest posted the fastest qualifying time with a 2:15.03 and Finch wasn't far behind with a 2:15.59, the third-fastest qualifying time. Sklenska became Troy's third finalist in the event with a 2:16.92.
Three Trojans - Jasmine Riley, Rayne Duhart and Maya Kelly - qualified for the finals in the 60m dash. Riley posted the third-fastest time in qualifying with a 7.60 in the event. Alexis Garrett had a strong outing in the 60m hurdles with a qualifying time of 8.63, the second-best time across three preliminary heats.
Precious Ogba will represent the Trojans in two finals Tuesday afternoon. The junior qualified for the 200m dash with a time of 24.48 and the 400m dash with a 56.25. Riley will join Ogba in the finals of the 200m while Kennedy will run alongside Ogba in the 400m.
On the field side, Samara Nelson finished fifth in the shot put with a mark of 13.71m.
Troy's day two action begins at 2 p.m. Tuesday with Tanner Guest in the finals of the mile. Fans can follow all the action at the 2020 Sun Belt Indoor Championships on ESPN+. Schedules, live results and standings can be found here.
DAY ONE MEDAL WINNERS
5000m
Macki Walsh – Bronze, 17:13.41
Distance Medley
Finch, Kennedy, Sklenska, Guest – Gold, 11:55.44
FINALS QUALIFIERS
60m Dash
Jasmine Riley, 7.60Q
Rayne Duhart, 7.65Q
Maya Kelly, 7.65q
60m Hurdles
Alexis Garrett, 8.63Q
200m Dash
Precious Ogba, 24.48q
Jasmine Riley, 24.79q
400m Dash
Precious Ogba, 56.24q
Madison Kennedy, 56.69q
800m
Tanner Guest, 2:15.03Q
Gemma Finch, 2:15.59Q
Edita Sklenska, 2:16.92Q
Mile
Tanner Guest, 5:00.58Q
TEAM STANDINGS
- Arkansas State, 51
- South Alabama, 47
- Troy, 20
- Georgia State, 19
- Appalachian State, 16
- ULM, 15
- Texas State, 13
- UT Arlington, 7
- Georgia Southern, 3
- Louisiana / Little Rock, 2
Players Mentioned
/ Track & Field
Multi Events
/ Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Sprints
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Throws
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
Distance
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