The Murray State Track & Field had a strong showing in Columbia, South Carolina, by claiming three top three finishes against 18 collegiate teams and global elite-level clubs on Saturday, April 12. The Racers displayed their short and mid distance strength at the Gamecock Invitational and built momentum as they set their sights on the upcoming Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championships.

Junior Chelby Melvin, who currently holds the Murray State 400m hurdles school record, earned second place with a time of 59.77. Her performance places her in the top 80 nationally and second in the MVC, where she is less than a tenth of a second behind Missouri State’s Meghan Halstead, who runs a 59.69.

The 4×400 relay team with Melvin, fellow junior Simone Joseph, and freshmen Amahrie Harsh, and Presley Gallimore finished in third place with a time of 3:46.04, ranking them third in the MVC and breaking the top 100 nationally. The Clique Elite track club, which is composed primarily of members of the USA track and field teams, provided the only two relay teams who finished ahead of the Racers. 

The 4x100m relay team saw second-place success with a time of 45.84, which puts them at fourth in the MVC. The team consists of graduate student Faith Bostick, junior Alyssa Williams, and freshmen Serena Blackwood and Harsh. 

A few of the relay team members claimed three other top five performances from the day. Harsh took fourth in the 200m race, juniors Simone Joseph earned fifth place in the 400m race, and Bosick took fifth as well in the 100m sprint. 

The Racers will make their next appearance on the road at Terre Haute, Indiana, on April 17-19. This will be one of the three meets the Racers have left before the Missouri Valley Championships on May 17-18.