COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - With impending unfavorable weather conditions predicted for Saturday, the pole vault literally was vaulted forward a day at the Ohio Valley Conference championships. Austin Peay State University senior teammates Carrie Burggraf and Molly Bartkiewicz did not disappoint.
The duo finished one-two in their final OVC championship event and each shattered the OVC championship record of 3.75 meters, Burggraf vaulted 4.09 meter (13 feet, 5 inches) while Bartkiewicz cleared 3.94 meters (12-11) to lead the Lady Govs to fourth place with 27.5 points after the first seven events.
It was the third straight OVC outdoor pole vault title for Burggraf-and matched her three OVC Indoor titles. In the process she rewrote her own Austin Peay and OVC record. Her previous best was 3.85 meters.
Burggraf and Bartkiewicz' performances helped turn around a day that saw the Lady Govs get off to a slow start at the championships, being held at Tucker Stadium on the Tennessee Tech campus.
On the track, senior Amanda McCoy, still struggling with the aftereffects of strep throat, qualified second for tomorrow's 100-meter hurdle final with a 14.38 mark; freshman Leigha Tolliver will join her after qualifying sixth with a 14.92 time. Junior Chiamaka Obi qualified fourth in the 400-meter dash with a 56.27 mark. She and Ashley Carson also qualified third and fourth in the 400-meter hurdles.
The field events hurt the Lady Govs early in the day, with McCoy struggling to an 11th-place finish in the high jump with a 1.58 meter (5-02.25) mark. Sophomore Jessica Runyon-Davis earned the same height as McCoy but defeated the upperclassman and other competitors in the field in a jump-off to earn a fourth-place tie and 3.50 points.
However, freshman Leigha Tolliver helped get the Lady Govs going by taking fourth place in the long jump with a leap of 18-08.5.
Weather permitting, the championships will continue Saturday.
