Mustangs Set for Mt. SAC Relays

Thursday, April 19

Torrance, Calif. / Murdock Stadium

All Day

SMU

Mt. SAC Relays

Mustangs Set for Mt. SAC Relays

Apr 17 | Track & Field

2018 Mt. SAC Relays
Date	April 19-21
Location	Torrance, Calif. at El Camino College
Live Results	Record Timing
Meet Info	Schedule \| Heat Sheets

DALLAS (SMU) – The Mustangs depart for the West Coast this week to compete at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays in Torrance, Calif. on April 19-21 at El Camino College.

It will be the fourth consecutive year that the Mustangs enter the Mt. SAC Relays. At last season's meet, the Mustangs saw Hannah Miller place sixth in her heat and 25^th overall in the 5,000-meter as a freshman. Daniella Murchison took 15^th in shot put, and sprinters Chelsea Francis and Latessa Johnson finished 13^th and 14^th, respectively, in the 100-meter dash. All four Mustangs will try to top their performances at this weekend's meet.

Four Mustangs (Chelsea Francis, Latessa Johnson, Hannah Miller, Tochi Nlemchi) will represent the Mustangs in the invitational sections in five different events. Johnson and Francis, who hold the No. 1 and No. 3 times in the American Conference performance list, will run the 100-meter. Johnson will also run the 200-meter dash for the first time this outdoor season when she races in the 200-meter invitational. Miller will race the 5,000-meter as well as the 1500-meter for the second time this season after setting a PR of 4:28.11 at the TCU Invitational. Nlemchi will throw in the shot put invitational, an event which she has dominated with two top finishes and the conference-leading mark this season.

Running events begin Thursday at 5:30 p.m. with the men's and women's 3,000-meter steeplechase open and will resume Saturday at 10:30 a.m. with the women's 1,500-meter invitational. Field events start on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. with the women's and men's hammer with collegiate open events continuing through Friday. The women's invitational shot put is slated for Saturday at 5 p.m.

The full meet program is available here.

OUTDOOR SEASON NOTES
MUSTANGS WITH CONFERENCE LEADING MARKS (APRIL 5)
Latessa Johnson – 100m (11.25) – Texas Relays
Hannah Miller – 10,000m (33:43.35) – Stanford Invitational
Tochi Nlemchi – Shot Put (16.71m) – Texas Relays

MILLER GOES UNDEFEATED
Hannah Miller picked up in outdoor season where she left off after a successful indoor campaign and has picked up four straight event titles at the first three meets. She has not entered an outdoor race which she hasn't won. At the TCU Invitational, the sophomore placed first in the 1,500m (4:28.11) and the 3,000m (9:34.90). She won the Arkansas Spring Invitational 3,000m, setting a meet record in 9:35.67. She won her section of the 10,000m run at the Stanford Invitational in 33:43.35, the third-best time in program history.

SHOT PUT SUCCESS
Tochi Nlemchi earned podium-worthy marks in shot put at each of the Mustangs first three outdoor meets. The senior has two shot put titles, with a win at the TCU Invitational and the Arkansas Spring Invitational. She followed up the meets with a second-place and conference-leading mark of 16.71m at the Texas Relays.

INDOOR SEASON RECAP
The Mustangs finished indoor season with a runner-up finish at the American Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, earning seven all-conference finishes. SMU totaled 85 points and finished behind Cincinnati (147 points) for the team's best finish since 2014.

The push was led by Hannah Miller, who picked up individual titles in the 3,000-meter and the 5,000-meter and a second-place finish as a member of the distance medley. She earned the Most Valuable Performer on the women's side of the meet, totaling the most points of any individual. Miller placed fifth in the 3,000-meter at the Vanderbilt Invitational, setting a new PR and school record with a mark of 9:26.62. The finish earned her the American Conference Female Track Athlete of the Week award on Jan. 24.

Latessa Johnson added to her SMU legacy in indoor, finishing first in the 200m dash at the conference championships with a meet and school record-breaking time of 23.17. The mark edged out her previous record time of 23.29, which she set just weeks before at the Tyson Invitational. Johnson earned the AAC Women's Indoor Track Most Outstanding Performance Award and the conference Athlete of the Week honor on Feb. 13. She finished indoor season with the 22^nd best time in the NCAA and the top time in the American.

Chelsea Francis was a standout in the 60m and the 200m throughout indoor season. The sophomore earned All-AAC honors in both events, with silver in the 60m and bronze in the 200m. She finished indoor with two wins in the 60m (Red Raider Invitational, Houston Invitational) and ran a 7.30 at the Tyson Invitational to secure the second-best time in program history. She won the American Female Track Athlete of the Week on Jan. 30 and finished indoor with the top 60m time and the third-best 200m time in the American Conference.

The Mustangs also picked up an All-Conference finish in the distance medley, comprised of Tess Misgen, Madison Pyle, Ashton Woods and Hannah Miller. The relay finished in 11:35.33. Freshman Cassie Ackemann added the final medal to SMU's count, earning bronze in the high jump with a mark of 1.73m.

INDOOR SEASON CONFERENCE HONORS
Hannah Miller
    Female Most Valuable Performer Award
    All-Conference – 5,000m (gold), 3,000m (gold)
    American Conference Female Track Athlete of the Week (Jan. 23)
Chelsea Francis
    All-Conference – 60m dash (silver), 200m dash (bronze)
    American Conference Female Track Athlete of the Week (Jan. 30)
Latessa Johnson
    AAC Women's Indoor Track Most Outstanding Performance Award (200m dash)
    All-Conference – 200m dash (gold)
    American Conference Female Track Athlete of the Week (Feb. 13)
Cassie Ackemann
    All-Conference – High Jump (bronze)
Tess Misgen, Madison Pyle, Ashton Woods, Hannah Miller
    All-Conference – Distance Medley (silver)

UP NEXT
The Mustangs head to the Bobcat Invitational, the final meet before the American Athletic Conference Championship, on April 27-28 in San Marcos, Texas. The conference championship will run from May 11-13 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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