Austin Peay Sports Information
Jacksonville, FL – Breigh Jones is going to Oregon.
The Austin Peay State University sophomore sprinter continued her ascension as one of the elite 400m runners in the nation with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA East Preliminaries, hosted by North Florida.
“She just did an outstanding job today,” said Molnar. “It’s a true testament to what happens when you come in and put in the work everyday, which is exactly what she does. “It’s been a long time coming. I’m proud of her and her efforts.”
After leading off Thursday’s 400m event in the first heat, on the inside lane, Jones was in the middle of the last of three heats on Friday, going off in the fourth lane against Cincinnati’s Kenya Woodall, George Mason’s Daianna Barron, Connecticut’s Celina Emerson, Miami’s Shakima Wimbley, Florida’s Ebony Eutsey, Ohio State’s Sonikqua Walker and Jacksonville’s Courtney Walker. Wimbley (second), Eutsey (third) and Emerson (10th) entered the weekend ranked top-10 regionally.
“The girls from Florida got out really fast and Breigh was right with them,” Molnar said. “She looked very comfortable against that level of competition.”
Jones was once again second in her heat, finishing behind only Wimbley in the heat. Her 52.65 again eclipsed the school record, which she set on Thursday. In four heats at the NCAA East Preliminaries in her two-year career, Jones has set the 400m record on three occasions.
She’s the first Lady Gov to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championship since Sheena Gooding in 2001.
Freshman Kaylnn Pitts will try to send two Lady Govs to Eugene when she competes in the triple jump, 4:00pm, Saturday.
