BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Stephanie Wangui won the 800 meters and UTSA's distance medley relay successfully defended its title, as the Roadrunners women's track & field team finished in eighth place at Thursday's Conference USA Championships.
Wangui captured the first league crown of her career after circling the Birmingham CrossPlex banked oval four times in a personal-record time of 2:10.26 (No. 4 on program's all-time performer's list). The junior from Leander held off a late charge from Charlotte's Taylor Carcella to top the field of 17 that raced in a two-section final and it marked the Roadrunners' eighth all-time conference championship in the event but first in five years. She shaved more than two seconds off her previous career best (2:12.89) and it was her fourth top-three performance in as many meets this season. Emily Perez (PR 2:14.66) and Shantel Swift (PR 2:14.79) finished fifth and sixth, respectively, behind their teammate and that gave UTSA a combined 17 points in the event.
Meanwhile, the DMR of Grace Kohler, Shantel Swift, Wangui and Perez passed the baton in 11:48.95 for the fourth-best clocking in school history. The quartet edged Southern Miss by nearly two seconds for the program's eighth all-time league crown in the event (second straight a member of C-USA) and fifth in the last seven years.
Those two victories pushed the program's all-time individual/relay total to 60 and 18 of those have come under the direction of seventh-year head coach Aaron Fox.
In other action, Whitney Flannel just missed a gold medal of her own in the high jump. The senior from West Columbia broke her program mark with a clearance of 5-10 ½ (1.79m) and matched North Texas' Shahaf Bareni, but Bareni was awarded the league title due to fewer misses.
UTSA's other top-three performance during the one-day meet came from its 1,600m relay, which registered the second-best time in program annals. The foursome of Evelyn Clark, Jennifer Arinze, Kelly Goudeau and Paige Patterson raced to a bronze medal in 3:45.76.
The Roadrunners also received a point from Evelyn Clark, who placed eighth in the 400m with a personal-record clocking of 56.34.
UTSA finished the meet with 42 points en route to its eighth-place finish. UTEP won the team championship with 122 points, while Western Kentucky (84) and Rice (81.5) rounded out the top three.
The Roadrunners will open their outdoor season next month when they host the UTSA Challenge Invitational at Park West Athletics Complex. The two-day meet is scheduled to begin on Friday, March 20.