By DACODA MCDOWELL-WAHPEKECHE, Sports Editor
Northwestern’s track and field team competed in the Great American Conference tournament in Magnolia, Arkansas on April 15 – 17.
The Lady Rangers placed fifth out of 10 teams. Harding University won the women’s side of the conference track meet with 324.5 points.
The first event done at the Great American Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships was the heptathlon.
Gina Wilson competed in the event and started her conference championship effort on April 15.
She competed in seven events through three days. After those concluded on April 17, she acquired two points for the team after individually earning 3,186 points throughout her seven-event schedule.
Alexa Leyva brought the greatest number of points in for the Lady Rangers. She finished the long jump event in third place after jumping a distance of 17 feet and 2 and three quarters of an inch. That jump put her in third place giving the Lady Rangers six points altogether.
Leyva was awarded a medal because of her third-place finish in the long jump.
“It felt unreal, honestly,” Leyva said about placing third in the event. “It felt like I just did what I needed to do and stepped out in the best ability that I could. Coach Lancaster prepared me for it. I felt mentally prepared and physically prepared.”
Aaliyah Stovall also competed in the long jump. She, alongside Leyva, brought in points in the event. Her jump of 16 feet and 10 inches helped her finish in sixth place giving six more team points to the Lady Rangers.
Emily Smith brought in Northwestern’s second greatest amount of points after finishing in sixth place in the 100-meter hurdles and seventh in the 400-meter hurdles. Altogether, Smith brought in five points for the Lady Rangers.
Northwestern had two relay teams on April 17 that scored points. The 4×100-meter relay consisted of Babette Brown, Aaliyah Stovall, (blank) and Leyva. They finished the race in 50.37 seconds edging out Ouachita Baptist University’s relay team. The 4×100-meter relay team earned three points for the team.
Northwestern also had a 4×400-meter relay team that consisted of Briley Yunker, Harlie Whisenant, Leyva and Smith. The ladies finished the relay race in four minutes and 15.96 seconds. The team was given two points because of their time in the race.
Austyn Pine, a dual-sport athlete who just finished her season with Northwestern’s volleyball, competed in the high jump event. In her second meet of the year, she beat the mark she set at last week’s meet.
At Friends University, Pine jumped 1.49 meters, but she jumped 1.55 meters in Magnolia, Arkansas for the conference championship. She acquired four points for the team.
Cayla Smither competed in the triple jump event during the meet. She jumped 35 feet with half an inch extra at the end giving her a point to give to the team’s point total.
Krissie May’s four team points were the last points Northwestern saw. She threw 114 feet and 11 inches in the javelin event.
Northwestern’s Leyva was not the only one to receive hardware. Emily Brown and Melissa Perez were both named Distinguished Scholar-Athletes by the Great American Conference on April 17.
The Lady Rangers wrapped their season up and go into the offseason.