by Benny Benton
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Barton College freshman Jasmine Watson recorded the second-best 60-meter hurdles mark in the NCAA Division II Southeast Region this season on Saturday during the Liberty Kickoff.
Watson, competing for the first time collegiately in her home state of Virginia, won her heat, finished second among NCAA Division II runners, and placed 11th overall among 53 competitors in the event at the Liberty University Indoor Track Complex with a time of 8.97 seconds.
That mark is just one one-hundredth of a second off both the conference and region lead of 8.96 seconds held by Converse College's Dasia Sanders, and just .05 off the Barton school record of 8.92 seconds set last season by Jamina Morris.
It was also one of five indoor personal records produced by Lady Bulldogs in the meet. Fellow freshman Andrea Mills collected PRs in both the 200-meter dash (28.34 seconds) and 400-meter run (1:04.92). Junior Courtney Ricks also gained a PR in the 200 (27.49 seconds), and sophomore Meghan Araldi earned one in the 3000-meter run (11:30.94).
This weekend, Barton will visit Johnson City, Tenn., for the second time this season, where it will compete in the two-day Buccaneer Invitational hosted by East Tennessee State University. The meet will serve as the team's final tune-up for the Conference Carolinas Indoor Championships on February 18.
