BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Highlighted by a pair of record-setting first-place finishes by junior sprinter Melissa Jefferson and another win in the 400-meters from Jermaisha Arnold, the Coastal Carolina University women's indoor track & field team picked up nine top-five finishes on day two of the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in Birmingham, Ala.

As a team, the Chanticleers recorded their best team finish since joining the Sun Belt in 2016-17, placing fifth overall with a total of 75 points.

Arkansas State won the event with a team-high 127 points. The Red Wolves were followed by Texas State (93), UT Arlington (82), Louisiana (80), and then Coastal.

Jefferson had a record-setting performance on day two of the conference championship meet, as the Georgetown, S.C. native, won the gold medal in the 60-meter dash with a CCU school and Sun Belt Conference record time of 7.22. She crossed the finish line 0.17 of a second faster than the next finisher.

The third-year Chant went on to claim first-place honors in record-setting fashion again, this time in the 200-meters, as Jefferson won the event with a Sun Belt meet record time of 23.39 to become a two-time Sun Belt Indoor Champion in 2022.

CCU went 1-2 in the 400-meters, as Arnold defended her title with a first-place time of 54.22, finishing just in front of fellow Chant Mekenze Kelley and her personal-best mark of 54.66. Kelley's time ranks third all-time in CCU history, while Arnold already holds the school record at 53.76.

Coastal also picked up a runner-up finish in the 4x400-meter relay, as the team of Kelley, Shani'a Bellamy, Nya McGowan, and Arnold recorded a time of 3:43.97 to finish second overall. The time was the third-best on the school's all-time indoor performance list.

In the 60-meter hurdles, Coastal placed third and fourth overall, as sophomores Sydney Clemens (8.41) and Bellamy (8.43) crossed the finish line in third and fourth overall, respectively, with both personal-best times ranking in the top-five on CCU's all-time performance list.

Also picking up a top-five finish was freshman Molly Jones, as she recorded a personal-best time of 4:59.99 to cross the finish line in fifth place overall in the 1-mile run. Her time was the ninth-best time for the mile run on CCU's all-time performance list.

Jones also placed 10th in the 3000-meter run with her time of 10:09.25, while fellow classmate Meagan Moreno finished in 13th with her time of 10:15.35.

Finishing seventh in the 60-meter dash was Kayla Sweeney with her time of 7.539, while Kelley (24.57) and Bellamy (24.58) placed sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 200-meter dash.

Joining freshmen Zayna Fray-Samuel (weight throw – 8th) and Camryn Lorick (high jump – 9th) with top-10 finishes in the field events was redshirt sophomore Kynnedy Dennis who placed fifth overall in the women's pole vault with a personal-best height of 3.76 meters, which was also the third-best mark in CCU indoor history.

CCU also had three student-athletes compete in the women's shot put, as Alexis Estep placed 13th overall with a personal-best throw of 13.19 meters, which also ranks 10th all-time in Coastal's indoor annals, while fellow Chants Nikki Boon (12.45m) and Lauralyn Clifford (12.07m) finished in 23rd and 25th overall, respectively.
 

Coastal Finishes on Day Two of the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships

Women's 60-meter dash (Finals)
1. Melissa Jefferson – 7.22 (Sun Belt meet record)
7. Kayla Sweeney – 7.55

Women's 60-meter hurdles (Finals)
3. Sydney Clemens – 8.41
4. Shani'a Bellamy – 8.43

Women's 200-meters (Finals)
1. Melissa Jefferson – 23.39 (Sun Belt meet record)
6. Mekenze Kelley – 24.57
7. Shani'a Bellamy – 24.58

Women's 400-meters (Finals)
1. Jermaisha Arnold – 54.22
2. Mekenze Kelley – 54.66

Women's 1-mile run (Finals)
5. Molly Jones – 4:59.99

Women's 3000-meters (Finals)
10. Molly Jones – 10:09.25
13. Meagan Moreno – 10:15.35

Women's Pole Vault (Finals)
5. Kynnedy Dennis – 3.76m
-. Alyssa Gregory - NH

Women's Shot Put (Finals)
13. Alexis Estep – 13.19m
23. Nikki Boon – 12.45m
25. Lauralyn Clifford – 12.07m

Women's 4x400-meter relay (Finals)
2. Coastal Carolina – 3:43.97