Heckman Makes Record Book Again as Tops Pick Up Nine Top-10 Finishes at Ole Miss

Thursday, March 24

Raleigh, N.C.

Western Kentucky University

Raleigh Relays

Heckman Makes Record Book Again as Tops Pick Up Nine Top-10 Finishes at Ole Miss

3/26/2022 6:50:00 PM | Track & Field

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – As the WKU Track & Field team split the weekend between the highly competitive Raleigh Relays and the Ole Miss Classic, fifth-year senior distance runner Savannah Heckman etched her name in the record books once again with the fourth-fastest 5k time in school history. The team overall also picked up nine top-10 finishes in Oxford at the Classic.

At the Raleigh Relays, Heckman finished 45th in a field of 151 runners. She shaved eight seconds off her personal best and clocked a 16:37.30 to log the fourth-fastest time in school history. It's the fastest a WKU female has run the 5k since Janet Jesang logged the second-fastest time of 16:14.52 in 2010. Jesang also holds the top time of 15:52.22 from 2009 and Breda Dennehy is just ahead of Heckman at 16:28.82 set in 1993. In the same event, sophomore Lucy Rutherford shaved off 11 seconds on her 5k PR with a time of 16:37.30.

On the men's side of things, Dedrick Troxell placed 73^rd out of 200 runners in the 1500, finishing just outside WKU's top times in program history with a 3:49.26. Clint Sherman also ran the race and finished 147th with a time of 3:53.98.

"The opportunity to compete at a prestigious meet like the Raleigh Relays is essential for this group to continue to progress," said assistant coach Brooks LeCompte. "It gave us much needed exposure to the top talent in the NCAA, racing in heats faster than we will compete in even at the conference championship level. I am so proud of this group, the way they were present in the moment and prepared themselves to compete to the best of their ability. This was a huge stepping stone to our 2022 outdoor campaign, and I believe it will set them up to chase top 48 regional rankings in competitive fields throughout the remainder of the season."

At the Ole Miss Classic, multiple WKU females led the charge in earning top-10 finishes. Queen Couch finished fourth in the 100-meter with a time of 12.17 while Maddy Hurt opened up her steeplechase season with a seventh-place finish and time of 7:37.04 in the 2k steeple.

Freshman Allison Arnett cleared 1.60m (5' 3") in the high jump pit to finish sixth while Nikki Ogorek got the same placement in pole vault after clearing 3.35m (10' 11.75").

Over in the throws group, Ajla Basic threw 56.87 meters in hammer throw and Aitana Safont Falomir threw 55.92. They finished fifth and sixth in the event, respectively.

For the men, Steven Simmons placed fifth in the 100-meter dash after posting a 10.71. Zackery Martinez had a PR of 54.34 in the 400-meter hurdles and finished sixth.

Keegan Barnette joined Hurt with the solid steeple opener of 6:07.79 in the 2k race. He finished sixth overall.

WKU is back in action to host the annual Hilltopper Relays on Friday and Saturday at the Charles M. Ruter Track & Field Complex.

Raleigh Relays Results
Women's 5k
45^th – Savannah Heckman – 16:37.30* – fourth-fastest in school history
131^st – Lucy Rutherford – 17:25.65*
Men's 1500m
73^rd – Dedrick Troxell – 3:49.26
147^th – Clint Sherman – 3:53.98

Ole Miss Classic Women's Results
100m
4th – Queen Couch – 12.17
100m Hurdles
12^th – Samyzia Sears – 15.11*
200m
14^th – Queen Couch – 25.31
400m
19^th – Madeline Powell – 1:02.46
400m Hurdles
14^th – Rachel Payne – 1:07.67
16^th – Audrey Griffin – 1:09.76
800m
26^th – Abigail Green – 2:31.18*
30^th – Lauren Dowd – 2:56.34
1500m
33^rd – Jenna Vaughn – 5:04.31
36^th – Madeline Powell – 5:21.16
2000m Steeplechase
7^th – Maddy Hurt – 7:37.04
High Jump
6^th – Allison Arnett – 1.60m (5' 3")
Pole Vault
6^th – Nikki Ogorek – 3.35m (10' 11.75")
11^th – Heather Gaughran – 3.20m (10' 6")*
Grace Turner – NH
Shot Put
16^th – Ines Lopez Arias – 12.82m (42' 0.75")*
Discus
20^th – Ines Lopez Arias – 41.97m (137' 8")
Hammer Throw
5^th – Ajla Basic – 56.87m (186' 7")*
6^th – Aitana Safont Falomir – 55.92m (183' 5")*
14^th – Ines Lopez Arias – 47.29m (154' 10")
21^st – Mary Claire Redden – 41.95m (137' 7")*
23^rd – Rachel Flinchum – 38.98m (127' 11")
Javelin
14^th – Abigail Green – 34.19m (112' 2")

Ole Miss Classic Men's Results
100m
5^th – Steven Simmons – 10.71
110m Hurdles
14^th – Cedric Johnson – 15.65
400m
25^th – Rafael Teodoro Da Silva – 52.85
400m Hurdles
6^th – Zackery Martinez – 54.34*
800m
27^th – Steven Votaw – 1:59.54
37^th – Dylan Duckworth – 2:02.08
30^th – Collin Pruitt – 4:17.50
2000m Steeplechase
6^th – Keegan Barnette – 6:08.79
3000m
11^th – Keegan Barnette - 8:54.51
13^th – Will Perrone – 9:05.91
Pole Vault
14^th – Devon Montgomery – 4.30m (14' 1.25")
Hammer Throw
16^th – Brett Brannon – 51.39m (168' 7")
21^st – Joel Dittoe – 49.71m (163' 1")

*denotes collegiate PR