DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Clayton State women's track & field delivered an outstanding opening performance on Day 1 of the 2019 Peach Belt Conference Championships as they picked up an All-Conference honor, saw four individuals advance to finals and another lead a multi-event on Thursday, April 18.
 
Sophomore Dalania Clardy (Riverdale, Ga.) headlined those efforts as she posted a 3-of-14 finish in the long jump, hitting a mark of 5.58-meters on her way to All-PBC Third-Team honors. With that she becomes the 22^nd All-Conference honoree in program history and the 16^th different individual to accomplish the feat. It also marks at least one such performance in each of the seven years the league has sponsored the championship.
 
Leading the parade of Clayton State competitors into the finals was junior Nia Elmore (Hinesville, Ga.) who went 1-of-13 in the 100-meters. The real story was the time she did it in, registering a program record time of 11.92-meters, albeit aided by a 4.7-mph tailwind. It is the 20^th school record she has set and betters her own mark from earlier this season by two tenths of a second.
 
The 400-meters would see a pair of Lakers make their way to the finals as sophomore Corta'Nasha Mutcherson (Savannah, Ga.) finished 3-of-18 with a time of 57.80. Right behind her was sophomore Chaviya Jackson (Albany, Ga.) in fifth at 58.13 while senior Carla Catala Martin (Barcelona, Spain) finished 5-of-22 in the 1,500-meters (4:52.52).
 
Junior Shockera Betty (Tallahassee, Fla.) would not be far behind as she delivered an impressive performance in the heptathlon, benefitting from competing in it for a second straight year.
 
Through the first four events she sits in first place out of 10 competitors with 2,319 points, having won the 200-meters (26.32) and 100-meter hurdles (16.73). She was also fifth in the shotput (9.45m) and ninth in the high jump (1.32m). Outside of the heptathlon she placed just outside of All-Conference honors in the long jump, finishing 4-of-14 with a distance of 5.39-meters.
 
Senior Destiny Johnson (New Iberia, La.) becomes just the second Laker all-time to compete in the heptathlon and is currently sixth in that event (2,079 points). Highlighting that effort was a first place finish in the high jump (1.56m) and a fourth place outing in the 200-meters (27.86).
 
The 2019 Peach Belt Conference Championships are slated to continue tomorrow morning with Day 2, weather permitting. The current forecast calls for severe thunderstorms and a 100-percent chance of rain throughout the day in the Daytona Beach area. Stay tuned to www.ClaytonStateSports.com for all updates concerning the championships.
 
CLAYTON STATE WOMEN'S COMPETITORS - THURSDAY, APRIL 18 (9)
Na'ilah Allen – 1,500-meters (16-of-22, 5:09.62)-Prelim
Shockera Betty – Long Jump (4-of-14, 5.39m), Heptathlon (1-of-10, 2,319 points – Through Four Events) – [100-meter Hurdles (1-of-10, 16.73), 200-meters (1-of-10, 26.32), Shotput (5-of-10, 9.45m), High Jump (9-of-10, 1.32m)]
Ariel Boyd-Ghani –1,500-meters (21-of-22, 5:23.98)-Prelim
Carla Catala Martin – 1,500-meters (5-of-22, 4:52.52)-Prelim-Q
Dalania Clardy – Long Jump (3-of-14, 5.58m)*
Nia Elmore – 100-meters (1-of-13, 11.92)#-Prelim-Q
Chaviya Jackson – 400-meters (5-of-18, 58.13)-Prelim-Q
Destiny Johnson – Heptathlon (6-of-10, 2,079 points – Through Four Events) – [100-meter Hurdles (6-of-10, 18.04), 200-meters (4-of-10, 27.86), Shotput (10-of-10, 5.88m), High Jump (1-of-10, 1.56m)]
Corta'Nasha Mutcherson – 400-meters (3-of-18, 57.80)-Prelim-Q
*Indicates All-Conference
#Indicates School Record