Track & Field Completes Day Two of American Indoor Championships

Friday, February 24

Birmingham, Ala.

Temple University

American Athletic Conference Championships

Track & Field Completes Day Two of American Indoor Championships

2.25.17 | Women's Track and Field

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Temple women's track and field continued competition at the American Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday. Overall, the Owls reached four individual personal bests across two events.

After advancing to the mile run finals, freshman Millie Howard and junior Katie Pinson represented Temple. Each reached personal records in the event with times of 4:53.99 (6th) and 4:55.87 (8th), respectively. Pinson made it over the five-minute mark hump as she beat her record of 5:00.16 set at the Penn State National.

Saturday's 3K run featured Pinson, Megan Schneider, Grace Moore, and Katie Leisher. Out of the four, Moore and Leisher finished in the top-10. With her time of 9:44.21, Leisher took seventh place and logged a new personal best in the event. She surpassed her record set earlier this season at the Penn State National (9:49.02) by five seconds. Moore followed behind in ninth place as she completed the race in 9:47.12, also reaching a personal best and surpassing her best of 9:52.95.

"Katie Leisher and Grace Moore had incredible performances today," said head coach Elvis Forde. "For a sophomore and freshman to reach personal records under 9:50 in the 3000 meter race, it shows their great potential."

Kenya Gaston, Bionca St. Fleur, Jazmyne Williams and Howard ran the 4x400m relay for Temple. The team of two seniors and two freshmen finished second in their heat with a time of 3:49.49 -- a season best for thw Owls' relay. Overall, they finished ninth just ahead of the SMU and USF teams.

"Our athletes are making good strides," said Forde. "This weekend we've had more athletes score points for us than we ever have, and we are proud of that. The most important thing to us is who scored them, which were some sophomores and freshmen. We have a very young team, so we are ecstatic about that. Next year, they'll be a little stronger and a little bit wiser, which will definitely put us in a better place."

UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston stand as the top three women's programs in the American, respectively, after this weekend's indoor championships. As a team, Temple placed 10th, only ahead of USF and just behind Tulsa.

"Overall, when looking at the total evaluation of where we are as a team, it gives us cause to feel excited for the upcoming outdoor season as well as next indoor season," said Forde. "Good things keep happening for us. I can't say that I am excited about where we finished, and I know our athletes are not either. However, this weekend boded well to open their eyes to how they have to step their game up and that the commitment and dedication has to come from them if we are going to make those jumps, leaps, and bounds that we hope to make in the coming year."

Results