Palmer propels Track & Field at Blue Raider Invitational

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Middle Tennessee sophomore sprinter Steven Palmer won a pair of event titles to lead Middle Tennessee on Saturday at the Blue Raider Invitational.

The Atlanta, Ga., native bagged first-place finishes in the 200- and 400-meter competitions with respective times of 22.19 and 49.48 seconds. He led a quartet of top-five Middle Tennessee finishers in the 400 meters which also included Asa Bowman, Rycine Ellison and Demetrius Shelton.

Ann Dudley continued her impressive indoor campaign as she claimed the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 7.00 inches (1.70 meters). The junior also placed second in the 55-meter hurdles, clocking an 8.15. Fellow Blue Raider Rosina Amenebede won the event in 8.07 seconds while Christal Wilson ran an 8.16 to finish third.

Senior Kiara Henry had another solid meet as she won the women’s 200 meters with a time of 24.89, outrunning Wilson who recorded a time of 25.39 to finish as the second collegiate finisher. Henry also was the top collegiate finisher in the 55 meters and notched a fourth-place finish in the long jump, leaping a 19-04.25 (5.90m).

Roscoe Payne picked up another 55-meter hurdle title, this time crossing the finish line in 7.40 seconds, equaling his personal-best time in the event.

Kenneth Gilstrap returned to the track for his first competition of the season and won the 55 meters in 6.38 seconds. He was followed by Blue Raider newcomer Drayton Calhoun who ran a 6.41 to place second.

Cordairo Golden, the reigning Sun Belt Male Track Athlete of the Week, collected another trio of top-five finishes in the jumps events. He finished second in the high and long jumps with respective leaps of 6-04.75 (1.95m) and 23-05.25 (7.14m). The sophomore also recorded a jump measuring 49-06.50 (15.10m) to place third in the triple jump.

The Blue Raiders dominated the 800 meter competitions on Saturday as Justus David and Robinson Simatei came away with one-two finishes in the men's event. Meanwhile Rachel Islam placed second and Lucy Kapkiai notched a third-place finish in the women’s race.

In all, the Blue Raider men's team won five event titles while the women's squad collected three.

“I feel like today was another productive meet for us,” said Middle Tennessee head coach Dean Hayes. “We received strong performances from a number of people. We just need to continue to work hard and keep the momentum going.” <

PHOTOS

Middle Tennessee will return to action next weekend when it returns to Lexington, Ky., for the Rod McCravy Memorial.

Follow the Blue Raider track and field teams on Twitter @MTTrackField and on Facebook at the MT Track & Field page. Also, stay up-to-date on the teams on the new Track & Field Notebook, which can be found here as well as linked on the Track & Field page on GoBlueRaiders.com.

Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter @MTAthletics for continued updates.