Mustangs Earn Five Top Finishes at TCU Invitational

Friday, March 16

Forth Worth, TX / Lowdon Track & Field Complex

ALL DAY

SMU

TCU Invitational

Photo by: Ben Solomon

Mustangs Earn Five Top Finishes at TCU Invitational

Mar 17 | Track & Field

Meet Results

SMU begins outdoor season at TCU Invitational for eighth-consecutive year

FORT WORTH, Texas (SMU) – The SMU Track and Field team picked up right where they left off after indoor season, opening the outdoor campaign with five first-place finishes at the TCU Invitational Friday and Saturday at the Lowdon Track & Field Complex.

Distance runner Hannah Miller followed her dominant indoor season with two top finishes. The sophomore earned first in the 1500-meter with a time of 4:28.11 and also claimed the top spot in the 3000-meter in 9:34.90. Both finishes were outdoor personal bests for the Invercargill, New Zealand native.

Miller was joined by four Mustangs in the top 10 of the 1500-meter event. Svenja Ojstersek took third with a time of 4:35.54, followed closely by Marlene Gomez-Islinger in fifth at 4:37.65. Charlotte Tara Murphy claimed seventh with a mark of 4:39.72, and Anneke Grogan took ninth in 4:45.10.

Alison Esparza (4:46.39) and Robin Montemayor (4:55.60) also established personal records in the 1500-meter, taking 11^th and 18^th, respectively.

The Mustang distance runners also impressed in the 3000-meter, with six athletes finishing in the top 10. Grogan established a new PR of 9:50.68 to take second place, followed by Murphy in fifth with a personal-best mark of 9:55.65. Ojstersek took seventh (9:57.29), Gomez-Islinger claimed eighth (10:14.72), and Esparza finished tenth (10:25.51) in the event.

With her second PR of the day, Montemayor finished 17^th in 10:55.07.

Tess Misgen delivered a first-place finish in the 800-meter with a time of 2:12.26, continuing the successful freshman season she began with an all-conference distance medley finish in indoor. Madison Pyle completed SMU's middle distance finishes for the day, claiming tenth in the 400-meter dash with a personal-best time of 56.69.

SMU's sprinters were led by junior Latessa Johnson, who finished first in the 100-meter dash in 11:35. The mark sets a new personal best and is the third fastest time in SMU history. She was joined by Chelsea Francis (11:54) in fourth and Alexis Center (11.74) in 13^th.

The Mustangs continued to build momentum in field events with a top finish by 2016 Second Team All-American Tochi Nlemchi in shot put with a throw of 16.2m (53-1.75).

In the high jump, freshman Cassie Ackemann delivered a 1.73m (5-8.00) finish to claim second-place. Atipa Mabonga finished third in the triple jump with a mark of 12.10m (39-8.50), the fifth-best mark in SMU history.

The Mustangs will continue the season at the Arkansas Spring Invitational on March 23-24 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Mustangs by following SMU Track & Field Team on Twitter at @SMUTrackFieldXC, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SMUTrackFieldXC, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/SMUTrackandXC. Find SMU Athletics on Twitter at @SMUMustangs or Instagram at SMU.Mustangs.