Squad rewrote the ETSU record book in the event this outdoor season

EUGENE, Ore. (June 5, 2013) – The ETSU women’s 4x100 meter relay team notched a sixth-place finish in their heat and an 18^th-place overall standing with a time of 45.06 in semifinal action at the NCAA Division I 2013 Outdoor Track & Field Championship at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

“Our women’s 4x1 ran a solid race,” said ETSU Director of Track & Field/Cross Country George Watts, “but we needed a complete race to advance to the final.”

Though their season has now come to an end, the quartet of Courtney Kinlaw (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), Keturah Williams (Alpharetta, Ga.), Karissa Bertling (New Port Richey, Fla.) and Emani Harrison (Columbia, S.C.) have a lot of accomplishments to be proud of this outdoor season. The foursome has continually reset their own ETSU school record in the event this spring, won a silver medal at the Atlantic Sun Championship, and competed strongly against the bigger track & field programs in the country at the NCAA East Region Preliminaries and most recently at the NCAA Championship. Their blazing time of 44.75 at the Prelims two weeks ago now stands as the ETSU school record in the event and has the likelihood to be broken again multiple times in the coming seasons with this young squad.

The team will lose accomplished veteran Kinlaw to graduation, but will retain the remaining three competitors and could possibly add Dede Edgecombe (Spartanburg, S.C.) to the unit who served as an alternate during the NCAAs.

“The positive is three of four will return,” said Watts, “and the experience gained will do wonders for them next year.”

“Coach Morton has done a fine job with the sprinters and he has high expectations for his group,” said Watts. “I look forward to the future in this event area.”

ETSU’s action at the Championship will continue on Thursday with Tyler Stepp (Dandridge, Tenn.) competing in the long jump at 4:30 p.m. PST. No Bucs will be competing on Friday which leaves Jason Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa.) to contend in the triple jump on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

Meet information, events schedule and tickets for the NCAA Championship can be accessed by visiting NCAA.com. Live results will be available through FlashResults.com. TV broadcasts can be accessed by visiting ESPN3.com  and the ESPNU channel, while live streams for select portions of the Championship will be available through Pac-12.com. Complete recaps of ETSU’s performances will be available following Thursday and Saturday’s events at ETSUBucs.com.

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