CONWAY, Ark. - The Arkansas Tech women's track & field team have a strong start to the 2022 outdoor season at the Richard Martin Jr. Invitational hosted by the University of Central Arkansas as they take home the gold in the 5000 meter race amid less than favorable weather conditions with the cold and constant wind. The team also competed in the 1500 meter race. Competing alongside the Golden Suns were division I programs such as UCA and UALR.

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FINAL RESULTS

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1500 METER
While the Golden Suns didn't win the 1500, they still had a strong showing among the participants as freshman Mary Beth Bailey finished with a time of 4:52.23 taking home third overall for the best finish on the team. Following right behind Bailey in fourth place was Calli Beshore with a time of 4:55.04 to land two members of the Golden Suns in the top five among the 23 total participants across both sections.

Finishing with a time of 5:02.53 and seventh overall was Karina Maravillas, while Felicity West crossed the finish line with a 5:11.07 time and landed at eleventh overall. Rounding out the group in the 1500 was Natalie Jennings finishing with a time of 5:33.73 at 17th overall and Kristen Bess with a 6:05.10 time and placed 22nd in the race.

5000 METER
The Golden Suns had a fantastic race in the 5000 as Ashlynn Mays took home first place with an overall time of 17:49.95. Tech didn't just take first though, they took the top three spots in the race as Morganne Browning finished with an 18:20.32 time to take home second and Marcie Cudworth ran for an 18:28.14 time to place third and secure the top three spots for the Golden Suns. With the top three spots won by Tech in the 5000, the team far outmatched UCA in the event.

Pacing themselves for the full duration of the event and rounding out the group was Maravillas who placed fifth overall with a time of 19:40.47 and Kaelyn Dobbins who finished with a 19:41.42 time and sixth overall to close out the dominant performance for the Golden Suns in the 5000.

UP NEXT
The Golden Suns hit the road for a big time meet on Friday, March 25 in Los Angeles, Calif. at the Bob Larsen Distance Invitational hosted by the University of California Los Angeles.