GULF SHORES, Ala. — The Lady Crusaders captured their sixth SSAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship, totaling 188 points to finish four points ahead of runner-up Life University.
On the track,
Tyeese Smith set the tone early with a first-place finish in the 100 meters, posting a time of 11.39. She followed with another gold in the 200 meters at 24.06, while Jennifer Ezeoha placed fifth.
Ezeoha earned gold in the 400 meters with a time of 57.16, and
Maria Schroeder and C'Shanti Pierce finished fourth and sixth, respectively. In the 800 meters,
Maria Tirado claimed silver in 2:19, just ahead of
Kristina Stojanovic, who secured the bronze.
Stojanovic added a silver medal in the 1,500 meters, clocking a time of 4:47, while
Virginia Tirado placed fifth.
Maria Tirado later won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:47, and
Virginia Tirado finished fifth in the 5,000 meters.
Stojanovic closed her individual events with a first-place finish in the 10,000 meters, crossing the line in 39:40.
Virginia Tirado and
Sydney Moudy followed with fourth- and sixth-place finishes.
In relay action, the quartet of Robertson, Latimer, Mitchell and Tirado earned silver in the 4x800-meter relay with a time of 9:58. The team of Schroeder, Smith, Wilson and Ezeoha captured gold in the 4x100-meter relay, while Schroeder, Stojanovic, Price and Ezeoha took silver in the 4x400-meter relay in 3:59.
In the field events,
Kerrishma Williams claimed bronze in the high jump with a mark of 1.57 meters, while
Zaniyah Wilson finished fourth. Williams secured another medal in the long jump, winning gold with a mark of 5.83 meters, while Smith earned silver. Natalee Dillion placed fifth with a mark of 5.36 meters, and Wilson finished sixth. In the shot put,
Ciearra Gibson placed seventh, and Wilson and Williams finished second and third in the triple jump with marks of 11.25 and 11.06 meters.
The Lady Crusaders will compete next at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships, scheduled for May 20–22 in Asheville, N.C.
