WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - After a month-long hiatus the WKU Track and Field teams returned to action at the Gene Edmonds Invitational hosted by Purdue at the Lambert Fieldhouse on Saturday and walked away with a pair of individual victories from sophomore jumper Ventavius Sears and senior pole vaulter Karleigh Parker.
Parker registered the 11th pole vault win of her stellar career with a school-record indoor clearance 12-feet-11.75 inches (3.96m). Parker, who has owned the indoor pole vault record since her freshman year, has now re-established her own record in all four of her seasons on The Hill.
Sears, who was the 2013 Indoor Sun Belt Conference Most Outstanding Freshman, started his sophomore campaign strong with a long jump of 24-feet-1 inch (7.34m). His leap was nearly a foot longer than the rest of the field as he recorded the first individual win of his young career.
The Hilltoppers received a runner-up performance newcomer Lemanuel Mosley, who captured second place in the 600-meter run with a clocking of 1:21.84. Fellow seniors Derrick Hill and Cyrus Johnson turned in third-place finishes in the high jump and 60-meter hurdles, with Hill clearing 6-feet-8.75 inches (2.05m) in the high jump and Johnson clocking 8.23 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles.
For the Lady Toppers, senior thrower Janie Burnett posted a personal-best mark in the shot put at 47 feet (14.34m) and sophomore thrower Jenessa Jackson secured runner-up honors in the weight with a clip of 57-feet-4.25 inches (17.48m).
Senior Chioma Agwunobi, a NCAA Regional qualifier in the long jump in 2014, started her final season with a 18-foot-6 inch (5.64m) leap to place fourth. On the track, senior distance runner Jodi Miller turned in a personal-record time of 10:19.90 in the 3,000-meter run.
Both teams return to action next weekend in Nashville at the Vanderbilt Indoor Invitational. For more information on WKU Track and Field, follow the programs on Twitter at @WKUTrackField or visit WKUSports.com.
