The Georgia State Women’s Track and Field Team enters the Sun Belt Indoor Championship with confidence as they are riding high on a season filled with successful meets.
“In the last two meets of the season, these young ladies really found their rhythm, and their confidence is at an all-time high as we move into [the] conference,” head coach Kyle Stevenson said.
The team began the season in Clemson, South Carolina. There were strong performances from junior Imani Flanagan, who finished second in the 400m race, and sophomore Morgan Manley finished third in the 600m race.
Senior Simone Harper finished fourth in the 60m hurdles, while senior Jaeda Hunt rounded out the competition with a fifth-place finish in the long jump.
The team took a brief break for the holidays and returned with significant finishes at the UAB Vulcan Invitational.
The 4x200m relay team led by senior Jordyn Braswell, freshman Maleah Heard, junior Destiny Nash and sophomore Ashanti Tigner began the meet with a third-place finish of 1:41.85.
Senior Marine Garnier earned a first-place finish in the 3000m with a time of 10:20.69. In the long jump, Jaeda Hunt earned herself a first-place finish with a distance of 5.84m.
With a few meets under their belt and numerous top-five finishes, the team headed to Nashville, Tennesse, to compete in the Vanderbilt Invitational.
The Panthers began with a solid third-place finish in the Distance Medley Relay run by Emma Devis, Morgan Manley, Anouk Prop and Marine Garnier.
Jaeda Hunt continued her previous week’s success by setting a new Vanderbilt Invitational record with a long jump distance of 6.03m, earning her a second-place overall finish.
After wrapping up in Nashville, the Panthers headed to Houston for the H-Town Speed Series. The 4x400m relay team led by Morgan Manley, Imani Flanagan, Blake Blakemore and Jaeda Hunt secured a first-place finish with a time of 3:50.70.
Marine Granier finished second in the mile with a time of 5:04.73. Emma Devis followed her up to earn a second-place finish in the 800m with a time of 2:15.08.
With a much-needed break, the Panthers had a week off as they headed to Birmingham, Alabama, to compete in the Bulldogs Invitational. Being the final meet before the Indoor Championship, it will be the final one to fine-tune any minor issues.
For the Panthers, the meet began with strong first-and-second-place finishes from Simone Harper and Zyra Shivers in the 60m hurdles with times of 8.66 and 8.73, respectively.
The 4x400m relay team continued their reign as they finished in first place again with a time of 3:47.50. The team also had four Panthers finish in second place in the long jump, 800m sprint, triple jump and mile run.
The Sun Belt Indoor Championship commences Feb. 21, and the seniors on the team are hungry for better finishes than in last year’s championship.
In the 2020-21 championship, senior Jadea Hunt finished second in the indoor long jump after setting a personal record of 6.13m. Na’ilah Moore finished third in the triple jump with a distance of 12.39m.
The Championships are a two-day meet that begins Monday with the long jump, 200m, 400m and a few other long-distance events. On Feb. 22, the meet will close out with the triple jump, 4×400 and the track finals.
