Collier's Victory Leads RedHawks on Day One

Thursday, May 9

Muncie, Ind.

All Day

Miami University

MAC Outdoor Championships

Collier's Victory Leads RedHawks on Day One

5/9/2019 7:54:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country

Day 1 Results

The junior wins her second career title in the javelin.

MUNCIE, Ind. - Led by Danielle Collier's victory in the javelin, the Miami University track and field team got off to a solid start Thursday at the first day of the 2019 Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships, hosted by Ball State University.

After the day's six finals, the RedHawk men sit tied for third while the Miami women sit in sixth.

Collier was the RedHawks' lone victory of the day as she won her second career Mid-American Conference title in the javelin. She has now won the event in all but one of the meets she has entered this spring. While not her strongest throw of the season, her mark of 49.97m, which she put up in her sixth and final throw of the competition, was plenty enough to earn her the gold and notch ten standings points for the 'Hawks. The junior entered the weekend as the country's twelfth-ranked javelin thrower.

Miami also earned points on the men's side of the javelin, courtesy of freshman Ryan Smith. In his first of four throwing events this weekend, Smith picked a good time to put up a new personal best mark as his throw of 55.81m earned him fifth place, securing four points for Miami. Smith will also throw in the hammer, discus, and shot put this weekend.

There were just two track finals on the day to go along with the four field events in the men's and women's 10000m. While the RedHawks were unfortunately unable to pick up any points on the women's side, the men's race proved fruitful for Miami as Bradley Davis turned in a strong fourth-place run. He ran a PR 31:39.04 to cap off the day for the Red and White.

In addition to those finals, five track preliminaries also ran on Thursday with a total of 12 RedHawks earning their place in the finals. In the women's 1500, Emma Mashburn posted a time of 4:40.19 to pace the entire prelim field; she will be joined in the final Saturday by Rachel Kotchman and McKenna Fry. Olivia Bechtel, ranked second in the MAC in the 200, qualified for the event finals while Mallory Harr and Sarah Bruns qualified in the 400m hurdles.

In the men's 400 hurdles, Aaron Muresan took second place in the prelims to lead the Miami trio of himself, CJ Patton, and Nick Bosley that will be heading to the finals. Three more Miami men qualified in the 200m in Jeremiah Hunter, Luke Finnegan, and Jake Owens.

The meet will continue tomorrow with five finals in the field events, starting at 10 a.m. Track preliminaries will begin at 4:40 p.m., with the only two finals coming in the men's and women's steeplechase to cap off the evening.