
Photo by: Penny Nichols
Gerlach voted Southland's AOTW; Kirby receives honorable mention
5/1/2019 3:01:00 PM | Track & Field
FRISCO, Texas – Abilene Christian sophomore Briahna Gerlach Wednesday was voted Southland Conference Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week. Southland Athletes of the Week are presented byMidSouthBank.com.
Gerlach competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Oliver Jackson Twilight Open for the Wildcats in Abilene last Wednesday, clocking a personal-best time of 11:09.42 for a first-place finish and the Southland's fourth-fastest performance of the season in the running event. Gerlach topped the second-place finisher by one minute en route to producing ACU's seventh-fastest steeplechase performance in program history.
Field Athlete of the Week honors went to senior Stephen F. pole vaulter Madison Pecot after she cleared a height of 4.33 meters (14-2.5 feet) Saturday, winning the event and registering the fifth-best mark in the NCAA for the season. Pecot's performance stands as the best in the Southland Conference this season, heading into the 2019 Southland Outdoor Championships.
ACU sophomore Megan Kirby was the runner-up to Pecot. Kirby last Wednesday reached a school-record distance of 6.28 meters (20-07.25) on her very first long jump attempt (1.9w). Her next two jumps reached 6.15 (20-2.25) and 6.13 (20-1.5) meters with respective wind readings of 2.1 and 1.9.
Not only did Kirby tie Mazel Thomas' 30-year varsity record from Lubbock (April 1989) with that effort, she also became the first Wildcat to surpass 20 feet since 2000, joining a distinguished group that features Thomas, Carla Jackson, Dawnyel Newhouse, Lindsay Welsh, Regina Swaim and Sylvia Dyer.
Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school's sports information director. Voting for one's own athlete is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on at least 25 percent of ballots.
Gerlach competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Oliver Jackson Twilight Open for the Wildcats in Abilene last Wednesday, clocking a personal-best time of 11:09.42 for a first-place finish and the Southland's fourth-fastest performance of the season in the running event. Gerlach topped the second-place finisher by one minute en route to producing ACU's seventh-fastest steeplechase performance in program history.
Field Athlete of the Week honors went to senior Stephen F. pole vaulter Madison Pecot after she cleared a height of 4.33 meters (14-2.5 feet) Saturday, winning the event and registering the fifth-best mark in the NCAA for the season. Pecot's performance stands as the best in the Southland Conference this season, heading into the 2019 Southland Outdoor Championships.
ACU sophomore Megan Kirby was the runner-up to Pecot. Kirby last Wednesday reached a school-record distance of 6.28 meters (20-07.25) on her very first long jump attempt (1.9w). Her next two jumps reached 6.15 (20-2.25) and 6.13 (20-1.5) meters with respective wind readings of 2.1 and 1.9.
Not only did Kirby tie Mazel Thomas' 30-year varsity record from Lubbock (April 1989) with that effort, she also became the first Wildcat to surpass 20 feet since 2000, joining a distinguished group that features Thomas, Carla Jackson, Dawnyel Newhouse, Lindsay Welsh, Regina Swaim and Sylvia Dyer.
Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school's sports information director. Voting for one's own athlete is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on at least 25 percent of ballots.
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