The Mountaineers’ last-place finish was all but guaranteed on day three of the Big 12 Championships, but that did not stop them from finishing strong.
After Mikenna Vanderheyden’s fourth-place finish in the 3000 meter steeplechase on Friday, WVU entered Saturday afternoon with fire. In the women’s high jump, senior Abigale Mullings debuted in her fourth outdoor conference championships with a season-high 1.67 meter jump earning her 15th place.
Freshman Annishka McDonald followed Mullings’ lead to record the same 1.67 meter mark, earning her a season best and 18th place. Junior Eden Williams also competed in the high jump but recorded no height.
West Virginia waited three hours to be represented in its next event, but when the women’s 800 meter finally began, the high jumpers’ success rubbed off on the runners.
Freshmen Kishay Rowe and Mary Delaney placed 14th and 25th respectively out of 32 in the first outdoor Big 12 Championship appearance for each. Rowe posted a personal record with a time of 2:06.72 while Delaney finished in 2:11.38.
The star of the 800, though, was redshirt junior Cassandra Williamson, who recorded the all-time program best performance in the event. In doing so, she earned All-Big 12 honors for her third straight season. She also added three points to the board for WVU, bringing the team total up to eight.
West Virginia’s previous record in the 800 meter was also held by Williamson. She set the record at 2:04.51 in April at the Brian Clay Invitational in Asuza, Calif. Williamson finished the race in 2:03.87 and earned sixth place overall on Saturday.
The 800 meter ended West Virginia’s participation in the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships, in which the Mountaineers finished 14th. Despite this, the event saw four Mountaineers qualify to continue their season.
Steeplechase runners Vanderheyden and Sarah Tait, along with both Williamson and Rowe in the 800 meter, will compete in the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Lexington, Ky. starting Thursday, May 23. The Mountaineers’ seeds for the event will be announced one week prior, on May 16.
Photo from WVU Track & Field
