BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Coastal Carolina women's indoor track & field team saw junior Melissa Jefferson set a new Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships meet record in the 200-meter dash, earned three points over the five events, and had 10 more student-athletes qualify for the finals in five other events on Tuesday on day one of the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships held in Birmingham, Ala. on Monday.
 
On the track, the Chanticleers picked up two points in the women's 5000-meter finals as freshman Meagan Moreno finished seventh overall in the 5000-meter finals with her time of 18:09.54, while in the field events, fellow first-year Chant Zayna Fray-Samuel finished eighth overall in the women's weight throw with her mark of 17.29 meters, both a personal-best and the fifth-best mark in CCU history, to earn one point in the team standings.
 
CCU also picked up a top-10 finish in the women's distance medley relay on Monday, as the team of Ashley Rulison, Nya McGowan, Nikki Boon, and Moreno finished 10th with a time of 12:38.55.
 
Another freshman in Camryn Lorick turned in a ninth-place finish in the women's high jump, clearing the bar at 1.64 meters, matching her personal-best mark at CCU, while fellow first-year Chant Lauralyn Clifford finished 18th overall with her distance of 15.80 meters.
 
In the 60-meter dash qualifying round, the Chanticleers had two runners in Kayla Sweeney (7.50) and Zahria Jones (7.65) qualify for the 60-meter dash preliminaries, while teammates Mariah McCord (7.72), Kamryn White (7.91), and Tariney Pepper (7.92) finished 11th, 19th, and 20th in the qualifying round.
 
In the prelims of the 60-meter dash, Jefferson had the best time of the day at 7.26, a new Sun Belt Championship meet record, and will be joined in the finals on Tuesday with Sweeney who topped her 7.50 mark in the qualifying round with a prelims time of 7.49, good enough for fifth overall, and the seventh-fastest time in CCU's all-time performance list. Jones placed 18th in the prelims with her time of 7.642.
 
Joining Jefferson and Sweeney in the finals on Tuesday will be fellow Chants Shani'a Bellamy and Sydney Clemens who qualified in the 60-meter hurdles. Bellamy had the second-fastest time in the hurdles' prelims with a personal-best time of 8.48, which also ranks as the fourth-best time in CCU history. Clemens recorded a time of 8.58 to place sixth and move on to the finals heat.
 
CCU also had two runners advance to the finals in the 400-meter dash, as freshman Mekenze Kelley had the second-best time in the preliminaries at 55.55, while fellow teammate Jermaisha Arnold crossed the finish line in a time of 56.09 to place fifth. Kelley's time is not only a new personal-best mark but also the fifth-fastest time on CCU's all-time performance list.
 
Sophomores Bellamy (57.80), Lauren Gordon (58.28), Amaryah White (58.36), and Amelia Canetto (58.75) also raced in the 400-meter dash prelims on Monday.
 
Three Chants in Jefferson (23.54), Kelley (24.10), and Bellamy (24.42) sprinted their way into the 200-meter dash finals, placing first, second, and eighth, respectively, in the preliminaries on Monday, while Sweeney and Jones turned in times of 24.86 and 25.38 in their prelim heats. Kelley's time of 24.10 was the third-best in CCU's indoor history, while Bellamy's time was sixth.
 
Also running her way into the finals on Tuesday was freshman Molly Jones, who raced to a second-place finish in the women's 1-mile run preliminaries, qualifying for the finals on Tuesday with a time of new personal-best time of 5:03.98.
 
Coastal is in 10th overall in the team standings after five scored events with three total points. Arkansas State leads after day one with 41 points and sits in front of Texas State (32), Louisiana (23), UT Arlington (22), and Appalachian State (20) who round out the top five.
 
The Chanticleers will return to action for day two of the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Birmingham CrossPlex tomorrow.
 
Coastal Finishes on Day One of the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships
 
Women's 60-meter dash (Qualifying)
1. Kayla Sweeney – 7.50 Q
5. Zahria Jones – 7.65 Q
11. Mariah McCord – 7.72
19. Kamryn White – 7.91
20. Tariney Pepper – 7.92
 
Women's 60-meter dash (Prelims)
1. Melissa Jefferson – 7.26 Q (Sun Belt meet record)
5. Kayla Sweeney – 7.50 Q
18. Zahria Jones – 7.65
 
Women's 60-meter hurdles (Prelims)
2. Shani'a Bellamy – 8.48 Q
6. Sydney Clemens – 8.58 Q
- Alyssa Smith – DNF
 
Women's 200-meters (Prelims)
1. Melissa Jefferson – 23.54 Q
2. Mekenze Kelley – 24.10 Q
8. Shani'a Bellamy – 24.42 Q
18. Kayla Sweeney – 24.86
30. Zahria Jones – 25.38
 
Women's 400-meters (Prelims)
2. Mekenze Kelley – 55.55 Q
5. Jermaisha Arnold – 56.09 Q
19. Shani'a Bellamy – 57.80
22. Lauren Gordon – 58.28
23. Amaryah White – 58.36
27. Amelia Canetto – 58.75
 
Women's 1-mile run (Preliminaries)
2. Molly Jones – 5:03.98 Q
 
Women's 5000-meters (Finals)
7. Meagan Moreno – 18:09.54
 
Women's Weight Throw (Finals)
8. Zayna Fray-Samuel – 17.29m
18. Lauralyn Clifford – 15.80m
 
 
For complete coverage of CCU Cross Country and Track & Field, follow the Chanticleers on social media at @CoastalTFXC (Twitter), @GoCCUsports (Instagram), and facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.