FAU Completes First Meet of 2021 at Blazer Invitational

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Florida Atlantic University track & field team concluded its first meet of the season at the Blazer Invitational hosted by UAB Friday. FAU tallied 16 top-10 finishes, three top-three performances and a first-place feat by Marisha Thompson in the 1000m run (2:59.43).

Coach Alex Smolka's Take

"Today was a good beginning for many and an outstanding day for some," said Smolka. "Jessica [Lambert] in the 600m and Marisha [Thompson] in the 1000m in her debut missed school records by fractions of a second. Cara [Simpson] and Casey [O'Connor] also ran very well and set new PRs. Overall, we are happy with our rust buster! Everyone is very excited to be competing again!"

Quick Hits

Thompson claimed first in the 1000m for the second best time in program history. Casey O'Connor followed in third (3:02.61) and Anaiis Scheeres in sixth (3:11.16)
Jessica Lambert ran the 600m in 1:35.00 to log fourth place and fell just short of the school record. Her time became the second fastest in school history
Cara Simpson advanced to finals in the 60m dash (7.75) to claim seventh place. She claimed a new personal record in the prelims with a time of 7.74. Simpson also claimed fourth in the long jump (5.47m)
Kailiece Harris tallied 10.92m in the triple jump to finish sixth
Roshelle Francois tallied sixth place in the 500m dash. Her time of 1:21.50 became the fourth fastest time in the program
Lauren Macon finished in fourth in the mile with a new personal record (5:13.21)
Malden Kappeler ended the night with a third-place finish in the 3000m run (10:06.29)

Upcoming

The Owls have a quick turnaround, as the Vulcan Invitational takes place tomorrow at the Birmingham Crossplex located at UAB.

Owls on Social Media

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Calendar

Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Roshelle Francois

Kailiece Harris

Jessica Lambert

Lauren Macon

Casey O'Connor

Anaiis Scheeres

Cara Simpson

Marisha Thompson

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Women's XC/Track & Field at Georgia Tech Invitational on April 17, 2026 at All Day

Upcoming Event: Women's XC/Track & Field at UNF Invitational on May 1, 2026 at All Day

Upcoming Event: Women's XC/Track & Field versus American Outdoor Championships on May 13, 2026 at All Day

Upcoming Event: Women's XC/Track & Field versus NCAA East First Round on May 28, 2026 at All Day

Florida Atlantic University Athletics