The ETSU women’s track and field team concluded its indoor season this past Sunday at the 2024 Southern Conference Indoor Championships. This years championships at the Physical Corps Training Facility at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington came to a close on Sunday with the Bucs placing fifth overall.

Day one of competition on Saturday was highlighted by sophomore Maya Murchison (Gambrills, Md.) who earned her first ever medal at the collegiate level earning a silver medal in the high jump competition with a leap of 1.61 m.

The distance medley relay team also earned a medal for the Bucs on Saturday taking the bronze medal with a relay time of 12:01.85. The bronze medaling team consisted of Bonita Gray (Ogden, Ut.), McKenna Boykin (Powder Springs, Ga.), Rebekah Howard (Ashland, Ky.), and Kiera Snyder (Clyde, Mich.)

Freshman Brianna Baker (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Eliza Ruch (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) both made their debut for the blue and gold this past weekend and earning respective points for their team. Both picked up Socon All-Freshman accolades for their performances at day one of the annual meet.

On Sunday, the standard was set by Diana Romero-Barba (Tepatitlan de Morelos, Jalisco, Mexico) and Tya Blake (Lynchburg, Va.) who both earned silver medals in their respective races. Following Sunday’s conclusion, Romero Barba earned top-three finishes at every single meet this season, concluding a historic season for her. Tya Blake achieved a new season best with a leap of 11.68m on her fourth and final attempt in the triple jump.

Photo of Tya Blake during the SoCon Championship. (Contributed/ETSU Athletics)

McKenna Boykin, Hannah Burkhart (Knoxville, Tenn.), Paden Bell (Commerce, Ga.), and Emily Lindsey (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) represented the Bucs in the 4×400 team adding a bronze medal to the Bucs tally at the meet. Their third-place finish with a time of 3:55.96 was a significant drop from their previous seeded time.

On the weekend tally chart, the Bucs earned 70 points en route to their fifth place finish overall. With the Bucs placement, they look to improve and begin preparations for the upcoming NCAA championship in June.

Author