PITTSBURG, Kan. (Feb. 9, 2018) – One of Oklahoma Christian track and field coach Wade Miller's goals for the 2018 OC women's squad was to put together a distance medley team that could set a school record.

He found the right quartet in Kelsey Castillo, Leisa VanVooren, Kelsey Simmons and Layne Hammer. They posted a time of 12:09.22 on the opening night of the Indoor Gorilla Classic on Friday night at Pittsburg State's Robert W. Plaster Center, knocking down one of the oldest marks in the OC record book.

Castillo started the Lady Eagles off well, running the 1,200-meter leg, before the team's top 400-meter runner, VanVooren, carried the baton in the 400-meter leg. Simmons, an 800-meter specialist, ran that leg before Hammer – who holds most of the program's indoor distance-running records – made sure the record fell during her 1,600-meter leg.

The quartet's time – good for a fifth-place finish among 24 teams – shattered the previous mark of 12:31.48, set in 1991 by Renee White, Elaine Estes, Tonja Shaw and newly inducted OC Athletic Hall of Famer Peggy Murphy. Only two other current OC indoor records were set before then.

The indoor record was the fourth for Hammer, who also owns marks in the mile, 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, as well as in the outdoor 1,500 meters and 5,000 meters.

In other events, graduate student McKenzie Stanford took top honors in the high jump, besting a field of 20 with a top mark of 5 feet, 5¼ inches (1.66 meters) – just .01 of a meter off the NCAA indoor provisional qualifying standard. She missed three attempts at 1.69 meters.

Stanford also ran the 60-meter hurdles, placing 25th among 56 competitors in 9.39 seconds. Teammate Jordyn Williams was two spots behind, in 9.43 seconds.

Sophomore Lawanda Harvey placed sixth among 93 runners in the 60 meters in 7.78 seconds.

The meet will continue on Saturday.