Women’s Track Races to Second After First Day at League Championships
Crossroads League Championships Central
INDIANAPOLIS – The 2024 Crossroads League Indoor Track and Field Championships kicked off on Friday at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, with the TU women climbing to second place with a strong opening day of performances.
Mollie Gamble and Audrey Brinkruff led the way with record-setting efforts in the 5,000-meters. The duo collected 18 points by finishing first and second in the race, as Gamble claimed the Crossroads League Championship and both runners surpassed the previous Taylor program record by four seconds at 17:18. The time placed Gamble and Brinkruff at fourth and fifth in the NAIA this season and was easily good for an A-standard.
TU's other league title came in the distance-medley relay, with Abby Mays, Nicole Braz Domene, Emily Johnson and Noel VanderWall topping the field with an A-standard.
Taylor also showed well in the 4x800-meter relay, finishing third and hitting the A-standard with a squad of Johnson, Mays, Olivia Jeanette and Kaitlin Burden.
More points came in for TU in the long jump, as Kiana Siefert and Patience Sakeuh finished in fourth and fifth to round out Taylor's list of top point-getters in finals events.
Sakeuh and Siefert also had top-five efforts in the 60-meter hurdle preliminaries and D'Arjha Davis raced to a top-five finish with Ashley Hall in the 60-meter prelims.
Taylor ended the first day in second place in the team standings with 44 points, trailing just Marian's 81 points as the action turns to Saturday.
