GREENCASTLE, Ind. – The Franklin track and field teams were back in action on Saturday afternoon, taking on a pair of crowded fields at the Tiger Invitational, hosted by DePauw University.
It was a strong day for the Franklin throwers, as student-athletes on both the men's and women's teams set new personal records in the weight throw. The women's team picked up 43 points and a sixth-place finish, while the FC men earned 14 points against the 14-team field.
Sophomore Laura Worthington and freshman Hunter Fields recorded new personal bests in the weight throw for the FC women with tosses of 12.57 meters and 11.10 meters, respectively. The Franklin men got a third-place finish from Nathan Adams in the weight throw with a toss of 16.18m, while Nick Coultas took seventh place in the same event with a personal-best throw of 13.97 meters.
Junior Kelsey Bowling continued her strong indoor season with three top-five finishes. Bowling claimed fourth place in the long jump with a toss of 4.70m, and matched that finish in the triple jump with a leap of 10.12m. On the track, Bowling racked up a fifth-place finish in the finals of the 60 meter hurdles, clocking in with a time of 9.98 seconds.
After qualifying for the finals of the 60 meter dash, freshman Morgan Clarke picked up points for the Grizzlies with an eighth-place finish with a time of 8.48 seconds. Clarke would earn an eighth-place finish in the 200 meter dash, clocking in with a time of 27.80 seconds.
A trio of distance runners turned in top-three finishes. Senior Rachel Bowden claimed second place in the one-mile run with a time of 5:37.71, while freshman teammate Grace Esterline was right on her heels with a time of 5:38.37, picking up third place. Sophomore Jayla Callens took home third place in the women's 600 meter run with a time of 1:48.32.
The quartet of Emily Walker, Bowling, Sarah Miller and Clarke captured third place in the women's 4x200 meter relay, clocking in with a time of 1:51.76.
Next up for the Grizzlies is a trip north next Saturday (Feb. 17) for the first of two straight meets at Anderson University. Start time is set for 1:00 p.m.
