SEARCY, Ark. – Harding freshman Roselyn Spencer holds a narrow lead over a 15-athlete field following the first day of the women's heptathlon at the Harding Bryan Phillips Open presented by Stallion Transporation on Thursday.
Spencer finished the first four events at the Lloyd Track Complex with 3,197 points, maintaining a slim 38-point advantage over Southern Nazarene's Abriel Thrash (3,159). Kendal Brown of Dallas Baptist occupies the third spot with 2,971 points.
Spencer, a native of Paris, Texas, used her home-track advantage to claim two event victories on Thursday. She opened the competition by winning the 100-meter hurdles in 14.62 seconds. She followed that with a dominant performance in the high jump, clearing 1.69 meters (5-06.50). The mark established a new Lloyd Track Complex facility record, eclipsing the previous mark of 1.68 meters set in 2023, and placed her fifth on Harding's top high jumpers list.
Thrash remained within striking distance by closing the day with a victory in the 200-meter dash, clocking a time of 24.58 seconds. She also posted a strong second-place finish in the shot put with a toss of 12.55 meters.
The shot put was won by Southern Nazarene's Micky McAlexander, who delivered a massive throw of 14.01 meters (45-11.75). McAlexander sits in fifth place overall with 2,920 points.
Other Lady Bisons in the mix include sophomore Carly Tucker in seventh place (2,792 points) and Celeste Puga in 10th (2,586 points). Puga provided one of the day's highlights by tying for second in the high jump with a clearance of 1.63 meters, a PR that also moves her into Harding's career top 10.
The heptathlon concludes Friday with the final three events: the long jump, javelin, and the 800-meter run. The first event is scheduled to begin at 10:45 a.m.
Heptathlon Standings (Day 1)
-
Roselyn Spencer (Harding) – 3,197
-
Abriel Thrash (Southern Nazarene) – 3,159
-
Kendal Brown (Dallas Baptist) – 2,971
-
Whitney Willeford (Dallas Baptist) – 2,930
-
Micky McAlexander (Southern Nazarene) – 2,920
-
Keirstin Moore (Central Arkansas) – 2,831
-
Carly Tucker (Harding) – 2,792
-
Kylie Wright (Central Arkansas) – 2,668
