Williams Runs Nation-Leading 800m To End Day Two At Vanderbilt Invitational

Friday, January 17

Nashville, Tenn.

Indiana University

Vanderbilt Invitational

Williams Runs Nation-Leading 800m To End Day Two At Vanderbilt Invitational

1/18/2020 8:15:00 PM | Track and Field

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Indiana Track & Field concluded their stint at the Vanderbilt Invitational on Saturday afternoon. Cooper Williams' season debut in the 800m highlighted day two of competition.

Cooper Williams returned to the 800m where he won the event with a nation-leading time of 1:47.84. Indiana went 6, 8-9-10-11 in the women's 800m as Joely Pinkston led the Hoosiers with a time of 2:09. Mallory Mulzer, Kelly Mindak, Elizabeth Stanhope, and Jenna Barker rounded out the field.

Barker shredded three seconds off her previous PR in the mile with a time of 4:48.49 to win her second mile of the season. Grace Walther returned to the oval to clock a time of 4:53.88.

Eight Hoosiers competed on the men's side of the mile. Kyle Mau led the Indiana men with a fifth-place finish in a time of 4:00.33. Two other Hoosiers climbed into the top-10. Matthew Schadler (4:00.49) and Arjun Jha (4:05.55) placed seventh and 10^th, respectively. Dustin Horter was next to cross the finish line as he clocked a time of 4:07.77 to place 12^th. Teddy Browning crossed right behind Horter in 13^th with a time of 4:08.10. Jake Gebhardt rounded out the top-20 in a time of 4:10.35 to finish 19^th. Skylar Stidam (4:14.90) and Ben Miller (4:14.54) rounded out the field of Hoosiers as they placed 26^th and 28^th, respectively.

Three Hoosiers advanced to the finals of the 60m final. Winning heat five of prelims, Megan Grabowski clocked a time of 7.52 to place fourth in the final. Alyssa Robinson's time of 7.62 held up to advance her to the final where she finished in sixth with a time of 7.57. On the men's side, Rikkoi Brathwaite matched his prelim time of 6.71 to finish fifth in the final.

Janii Jenkins was the lone Hoosiers in the women's 400m as she clocked a time of 56.04 and placed fifth overall. In the men's race, Vaughn and Zubin Muncherji finished back-to-back in 12^th and 13^th, respectively. Vaughn clocked a time of 48.91 while Muncherji nabbed a time of 49.13.

De'Aira Robertson raced to a new PR of 8.64 in the prelims of the 60m hurdles to advance to the finals. In the finals, Robertson nabbed a time of 8.69. Claiming the eighth spot in the finals, Shaton Vaughn hit a time of 8.40 to place seventh.

Ending events on the oval, the men's 4x400-meter relay A squad picked up silver and clocked a time of 3:13.06. In the women's field, the A team took third with a time of 3:49.86.

In the field, Khayla Dawson continued her early season success in the women's shot put by dishing out a mark 17.47m (57' 3.75") to place as the top collegiate finisher and second overall. On the men's side, Willie Morrison made his season debut where he placed second overall and was the top-collegiate finisher. The senior threw a distance of 19.17m (62' 10.75").

Leah Moran competed in her third triple jump of the season on Saturday afternoon. The senior hit a mark of 12.91m (42' 4.25") to finish third.

Indiana will return to action on Jan. 24 and 25 when they host the Gladstein Invite.