CHESTER, Pa.– Eastern University Track and Field claimed a pair of gold medals to highlight a solid day on the second day of the 2021 MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Mary Bernotas picked up the first Eastern gold medal of the day. int he 3000 Meter Steeplechase The junior brought the best seed time into the event . She grabbed an early lead and rean away from the field. Her 11:15.49 in the heat was 12 seconds off her season-best time of 11:03.07 set at DeSales two weeks ago. That time was eighth nationally coming into the weekend.
While Bernotas was the prohibitive favorite in her race,
Taylor Bynum-Bain came in as the fifth seed in the long jump and had been out for several weeks with injury. The rookie hit a season-best 5.23 meters on her first jump and went to the finals in second place. Her first jump in finals carried her 5.33 meters to grab a lead by two centimeters over top-seeded Shinelle Felix of Alvernia. Felix did not improve on her 5.33 meter jump from prelims and Bynum-Bain claimed the win.
The Eagles put two other women on the podium and qualified several individuals and a relay for tomorrow's final day.
Joelle Wash finished fourth in the Heptathlon. She improved on her fifth place finish from 2019 in the event. Shani Hodges finished fifth in the high jump.
Alyse Hand qualified for the 200 Meters , and
Brianna Ulaky ran a 1:01.42 PR to qualify for the finals in the 400 Meters.
Mary Bernotas qualified for finals in the 800 Meters and the 4 x 100 Meter Relay grabbed the eighth qualifying spot in that event.
Courtney Moyer,
Tara Ford,
Malena Ricks, and Hand got the baton around track .14 seconds faster than the ninth-place Lebanon Valley Dutchmen to have a chance to run tomorrow.
Head Coach Michael Moffitt was pleased to see the relay get through and execute their handoffs and looks forward to seeing the group improve further tomorrow.
Jonathan Nixon scored the only point of the day for the men with an eighth-place finish in the high jump.
Milan Sharma ran the seventh fastest time in the prelims of the 800 Meter Run, but because the top-two from each heat qualify, he was the first runner out of the finals.
The MAC Championships conclude tomorrows with finals for 28 events. The day will start with Men's Pole Vault at noon.
