TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Franklin College track and field teams lined up against the best of the best in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) on Friday afternoon for day one of the 2018 HCAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Three Grizzly women punched their tickets to the final rounds on Saturday afternoon and three other Grizzlies set new personal bests on day one. The Franklin women sit in eighth place after one day while the men come in 10th going into day two.
Freshman Morgan Clarke had a strong first day, earning a spot in the finals in a pair of sprint events. Clarke's time of 25:95 in the 200-meter dash not only earned her a runner-up finish and a spot in Saturday's finals, but it set a new program record in the event. Earlier in the day, the Indianapolis-native claimed sixth place in the prelims of the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.85 seconds.
Also advancing to day two is junior Kelsey Bowling, who clocked in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.79 seconds, earning a seventh-place finish in the prelims. Bowling would grab points in the triple jump, taking sixth place with a leap of 10.19 seconds.
The final Grizzly headed to the finals on Saturday is sophomore Jayla Callens, who smashed her previous personal best in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:26.96, good for second in her heat and fifth place overall. Callens also moved into the program's top-10 in the 800.
Senior Rachel Bowden collected points in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, smashing her old personal record by 41 seconds with a time of 12:25.41, the fifth-best time of the night and the fifth-best time in Franklin program history. Junior Laura Worthington came just short of earning points in the discus, taking 10th place with a toss of 32.31 meters.
Two distance runners for the Franklin men's team set new season best times in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Adam Rector claimed 10th place with a time of 10:44.05, setting a new personal record on Friday. Right on his heels was teammate JT Sargent, whose time of 10:59.20 set a new season best and earned a 12th place finish. Senior Nick Uhl had a strong showing in the 100-meter dash prelims, taking ninth place with a time of 11.48 seconds.
The Grizzlies will be back on the track on Saturday (Apr. 28) for the final day of the HCAC Championships. Start time in Terre Haute is set for 9:00 a.m.
