JONESBORO, Ark. – The University of South Alabama women's track and field team holds the lead with 98 points after the second day of the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championship. The men's team has accumulated 23 points and is seventh entering Sunday's competition.

A pair of juniors claimed first-team all-Sun Belt honors. Emilie Berge won her third Sun Belt heptathlon title in as many seasons with a final point total of 5,341. After recording a second-place shot put finish at the 2018 Sun Belt Outdoor Championship, Autavia Fluker took the top spot this year with a 14.67m (48-01.75) effort. Each victory added 10 points to the team totals.

Following a second-place javelin finish Friday, Hanna-Mai Vaikla took the runner-up spot in the heptathlon for eight team points and another second-team all-Sun Belt recognition. Other Jaguars taking home all-conference medals included Taylor Dames (high jump, third) and Angeline Smit (shot put, third).

MEET INFORMATION
Event: 2019 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships
Date: May 10-12
Host: Arkansas State
Site: Arkansas State University Track & Field/Cross Country Complex
Live Results
ESPN Coverage Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

NOTES
Men's Track
-Appling's first-place 110m hurdles preliminaries time of 14.11 seconds was a personal-best which ties for second in the all-time Jaguar performance list. The freshman advanced to the finals and tied for third in the Sun Belt this season.
-Larry Lombard won the 800m preliminaries and qualified for the finals with a career-low time of 1:52.30; it is the fourth-best time in the Sun Belt this season.

Women's Track
-Carolien Millenaar shattered her own USA 3,000m steeplechase mark. The sophomore crossed the line in 10:40.44, more than 16 seconds faster than her previous personal record.
-Freshman Silje Lindstad remains third on the all-time Jaguar performance list with a career-best 3,000m steeplechase time of 11:03.31.
-Dames ran a season-best 100m hurdles race, crossing the line in 14.68 seconds in the preliminaries.
-Elysa Griffin's 12.40-second 100m preliminaries time was her fastest of the season.

Men's Field 
-Sam Brown and Christian Ellis recorded personal-best long jump marks of 6.96m (22-10.00) and 6.74m (22-01.50), respectively.
-Senior Thomas Boyd took sixth place in the shot put after a 15.87m (52-01.00) effort.
-Graham Collins entered the day in third place, but did not finish the decathlon after he was unable to clear the pole vault in the allowed attempts.  

Women's Field
-Berge finished in the top three in six of seven heptathlon events. The junior tied for first in the heptathlon long jump with a 5.65m (18-06.50) mark and earned all-conference honors and six team points with a third-place, 5.92m (19-05.25) jump in the general competition. She also placed third in the heptathlon javelin event (40.11m, 131-07.00). 
-Vaikla's performances Saturday put her in USA's top 10 in two categories. The sophomore scored 5,100 heptathlon points—the sixth-best total in Jaguar history—and eight team points with a second-place finish. She won the javelin portion of the heptathlon with a 44.48m (145-11.00) throw. Her 13.63m (44-08.75) shot put throw added three team points and ranks 10th on the all-time USA performance list.
-Smit picked up six team points and the first all-Sun Belt honor of her career with a third-place, 13.99m (45-10.75) shot put mark.
-Jaguar seniors Dames and Olivia Swan contributed 5.5 and 2.5 team points, after tying for third and sixth respectively, in the high jump. Dames earned all-conference recognition for the second consecutive year with a 1.73m (05-08.00) effort, while Swan cleared 1.65m (5-05.00). 

UP NEXT
The Sun Belt Outdoor Championship concludes Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at the Arkansas State University Track & Field/Cross Country Complex in Jonesboro, Ark.

QUOTES FROM COACH BRUESKE
On today's performances: "We had some people step up; that's exactly what we needed. We had some very solid performances and some pleasant surprises. Overall, I think we're still in the hunt. It's going to be much tighter tomorrow with the sprint finals. We still have a few opportunities tomorrow. Hopefully we'll capitalize on those remaining opportunities and be able to hold on to the lead." 
 
On the records set in the women's 3,000m steeplechase: "That just shows you how tough our league is. Millenaar and Lindstad both ran personal-bests. Millenaar broke her school record. It was a tough, tough race. It really shows the quality and depth of the Sun Belt Conference."
 
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
 
Join the Finish Line Club, the track and field and cross country specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  All donations to the Finish Line Club go directly to support the South Alabama track and field/cross country programs.  For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/finishlineclub
 
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