NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane women's indoor track & field squad continued their epic journey on Friday at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., where senior Olivia Kizzee and junior Rebecca Coady each turned in top times to lead the Green Wave.
Running alongside some of the top programs in the nation at the annual event, Kizzee clocked a personal-best of 7.49 in the 60-meter dash, while Coady ran to a seventh-place finish in the mile run with a time of 5:05.84, while sophomore Johanna Gretschel finished 19th in the mile in a time of 5:30.69. "Olivia Kizzee ran another lifetime best in the 60-meter dash on Friday," Tulane head coach Eric Petersonsaid. "She seemed a little tired but ran well and is close to breaking through to a national level performance.Rebecca Coady also turned in a lifetime best performance in the mile. She continues to get better each week and I believe she is headed in the right direction." Other Green Wave performances included sophomore Kasey Rodgers' 7.61 in the 60-meter dash, while the trio of junior Aieshia Brooks (57.92) and the freshmen of Jamie Riles (57.96) and Candice St. Etienne all ran close times in the 400-meter dash. Freshman Adyiah Crute ran to a time of 9.34 in the 60-meter hurdles. "Kasey Rodgers matched her season-best in the 60-meter dash and we are excited her consistency this season. She is focused on improving her start and poised to have a break-through performance in that event. In our field events today, I thought Raquelle and Brree jumped consistently well. They're each improving their technique as we move through the season," Peterson said. Over the past eight days, the Green Wave has endured one of the longest journeys by a TU squad. The team left New Orleans on Feb. 4 for the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup in State College, Pa. Following the two-day event on Friday (Feb. 5) and Saturday (Feb. 6), the team was scheduled to fly back to New Orleans on the following Sunday. However, an unusual amount of heavy snowfall in the area forced the team to stay in its hotel for a total of six days. The team finally left the Penn State area on Tuesday (Feb. 9) but due to airport closures in the region, the Green Wave was forced to bus to Philadelphia where the team flew directly to Tulsa, Okla., on Thursday and made the hour and a half bus ride to Fayetteville for this weekend's meet. All told, the Wave track and field squad has been away from New Orleans for nine days. "State College received 40 inches of snow over a span of five days, which was two full seasons of snow fall for the area. We had a team Super Bowl party in our hotel and watched the Saints unbelievable win. Overall, this has been quite an experience. Some of our student-athletes saw snow for the first time in their lives. I'm very proud of the way they have maintained their focus and positive attitude." Peterson said. Friday's Results 400-Meter Dash Mile Run 60-Meter Hurdles
60-Meter Dash
25. Olivia Kizzee 7.49
42. Kasey Rodgers 7.61
74. Aieshia Brooks 57.92
76. Jamie Riles 57.96
85. Candice St. Etienne 59.39
7. Rebecca Coady 5:05.84
19. Johanna Gretschel 5:30.69
51. Adiyah Crute 9.34