WINSTON-SALEM - Success has defined CIU women's track & field's indoor season up to this point and continued today as the Rams had their second highest team finish in program history (4th place) at the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Championships on Saturday.
The Ram's remarkable day two performance included five different athletes posting podium finishes and four conference titles.
Emma Johnson was named the AAC Women's Outstanding Athlete of the Year for her performance on the track as the graduate transfer won the finals in each of her three events while also setting the meet records in each event she took part in. Johnson's performance included a 7.67 time in the 60-meter dash, a 8.67 time in the 60-meter hurdles, and a 200-meter dash time of 25.26.
Incredibly, the Rams swept the top four spots of the women's 60-meter dash in the following order:
- Emma Johnson (7.67)
- Trinyty Gregory (7.69)
- Charlette Johnson (7.90)
- Morgan Johnson (7.96)
Gregory found the podium in the 200-meter dash, finishing second behind Emma Johnson at 26.12, while Charlette Johnson came in sixth in the event at 27.00. Ane Peasley also took part in the 200 with a time of 28.22.
Peasley had a top-five finish in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.76, while Morgan Johnson battled in the event, crossing the finish line at 13.43.
Morgan Johnson was the Ram's lone competitor in the 400 meters with a fifth-place finish of 1:02.86.
The Rams distance squad had a formidable showing for CIU as Lydia Willhite (2:35.07), Rosemary Reed (2:35.20), and Jordan Wray (2:42.35) all competed in the 800-meter run. Reed and Willhite took part in the one-mile run as well, with Reed posting a time of 5:50.08 and Willhite clocking in at 5:57.25.
The Rams' success on the track was mirrored in the field as Kloey Pickens was named the AAC Women's Field Athlete of the Year. After finishing second in yesterday's weight throw, Pickens took home the top spot in the shot put with a mark of 13.16m. Acoya Hunt finished sixth in the same event at 10.81m, while Coral Curry was the Ram's third competitor with a heave of 9.77m.
CIU's other conference champion in a field event came from freshman Caroline Rimmer, who set a personal record height of 3.02m in the pole vault. Rimmer was the only competitor in the event to cross the three-meter threshold.
Elsewhere in the field, Morgan Johnson was one spot away from a podium finish in the long jump with a leap of 4.92m for fourth place finish. Gregory came in sixth in the event at 4.87m.
What Coach Tim Thompson is saying: "Thank you, Lord! Today, God showed up and showed out for us. We finished fourth on the women's side and fifth on the men's side, the second highest team finish for the women in school history and the highest for the men in school history! What a blessing!"
Up Next: CIU will head to the skies for a plane ride to South Dakota, where they will compete at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships, Feb. 29-Mar. 2.
