MURFREESBORO, Tenn.  – The Florida Atlantic University track & field team got things started at the 2021 Conference USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with the 10,000 meters on Friday evening at the Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium.
Madlen Kappeler finished the race in 35:07.59 to break a school record and capture fifth place in the event. She gave the Owls an early four points in the Championships.
Â
"What a great night," said head coach Alex Smoka. "Under almost perfect distance racing conditions, we had two runners enter in the 10k and they are both walking away with two PR's, one school record and team points!! What more could we ask for? It's a great feeling when things click at the right time! It's an exciting start to our conference weekend. I'm very proud of both Madlen [Kappeler] and Lauren [Macon]. We'll now have to wait and see if Madlen's new school record time qualifies her for the first round of the NCAA championships in two weeks time!"
Â
- Kappeler finished the 10K in 35:07.59 to break a 10-year school record previously held by Rebecca Hallam in 2011. She captured fifth place to earn four points for the team
- Lauren Macon followed Kappeler in 15th place with a time of 38:18.84. Her time broke a personal record and stands as the seventh fastest time in program history
Â
The Owls will have a long day ahead of them for the third day of the championships. FAU's first field event is the long jump finals at 2:30 p.m., while the 1500 meter prelims will commence the running events at 4:30 p.m.
Â
For complete coverage of FAU cross country and track & field, follow us on Twitter (
@FAUXCTF), Instagram (
@FAUXCTF) and Facebook (
FAU XC/Track & Field).
Â
Â