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Thursday, May 15
Charlotte, N.C.
Rice University
at
American Athletic Conference
Friendly Paces Owls to Close AAC Championships
5/17/2025 11:54:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
CHARLOTTE – The Rice women's track and field team saw several personal bests to score in several events on the final day of the AAC Outdoor Championships. Rice closed the meet in seventh as a team.
Using a personal best time of 11.38s, Saniya Friendly secured a spot on the podium with a second-place finish in the 100m.
Alice Taylor used a clearance of 1.75m to finish fourth in the high jump.
Alex Gobran grabbed the final points for Rice with a fourth-place outing in the 5000m.
Cullen Merrell closed a terrific conference meet with a fifth-place showing in the 800m with a time of 2:10.85.
Heidi Nielson (fourth) and Amelie Attenborough (eighth) secured points in the 1500m, while Riana Green added a point for the Owls with an eighth-place showing in the 800m.
FRIDAY'S RECAP
Julia Johannesdottir earned a trip to the podium after finishing the heptathlon in third place to cap off her freshman campaign. Alice Taylor also grabbed a point with an eighth-place finish.
Over in the shot put, Morgan Fey moved from eighth to sixth on her final throw with a distance of 13.89m.
Molly Humes closed the women's competition for the night with a personal best time of 10:55.12 in the steeplechase to finish eighth.
THURSDAY'S RECAP
Mckyla Van der Westhuizen highlighted the day by defending her conference title in a dominant way, breaking the stadium record with a throw of 54.85m en route to her second consecutive conference crown.
Daphne Mayer closed the night with a bang, finishing second in the 10000m as a freshman, in just her second-ever race for the event. Alex Gobran also made her outdoor season debut by grabbing points in the event with a sixth-place finish.
Post Meet Reaction - Head Coach Jim Bevan
"What a performance by Saniya Friendly in the 100m. She uses a lifetime best to reach the podium in second place and also now has a time to get into qualifying contention for the NCAA West Prelims. She also scored in the 200m and ran the final leg of the 4x100. I am so proud of her and what she was able to accomplish today. We had a trio just missing the podium today in fourth, with Alice Taylor in the high jump, Heidi Nielson in the 1500m and Alex Gobran in the 5000m. Tremendous competitors that showed why they can compete with the best in the conference. Amazing weekend by Alex, coming back in the last couple of weeks to score fourth in the 5000m and sixth in the 10000m. Very proud of her. Cullen Merrell, wow, what a meet for her. She comes in and finishes fifth today in the 800m. Amazing performance out of her this weekend. Our 4x100 team also ran very well, finishing sixth. And of course, we had Amelie Attenborough who also grabbed a point in the 1500m for us. A great performance by a great athlete who was able to come back and compete for us at the outdoor meet. Overall, I am so proud of the team. We now shift to the postseason, where we will hope to send four to the prelim meet in College Station."
RESULTS (Top finishers)
100m
2. Saniya Friendly – 11.38
200m
6. Saniya Friendly – 23.80
400m
8. Riana Green – 54.17
800m
5. Cullen Merrell – 2:10.85
1500m
4. Heidi Nielson – 4:29.82
8. Amelie Attenborough – 4:34.97
5000m
4. Alex Gobran – 17:01.20
4x100
6. Riana Green, Julia Johannesdottir, Addison Zamzow, Saniya Friendly – 45.54
High Jump
4. Alice Taylor – 1.75m
FRIDAY'S RESULTS
3000m Steeplechase
8. Molly Humes – 10:55.12 (+1)
Shot Put
6. Morgan Fey – 13.89m
Heptathlon
3. Julia Johannesdottir – 5283 points (+6)
8. Alice Taylor – 5124 (+1)
THURSDAY'S RESULTS
10000m
2. Daphne Mayer – 35:05.67 (+8)
6. Alex Gobran – 35:38.45 (+3)
Javelin
1. Mckyla Van der Westhuizen – 54.85m (+10)
TEAM SCORES
1. Charlotte – 123
2. South Florida – 108
3. UTSA – 99
4. Tulane – 89
5. Memphis – 75
6. Wichita State – 68
7. Rice – 67
8. North Texas – 66
8. East Carolina – 60
10. Florida Atlantic – 19
11. Tulsa – 18
12. UAB – 17
13. Temple – 10
UP NEXT
Rice heads to College Station for the NCAA West Prelims.
Using a personal best time of 11.38s, Saniya Friendly secured a spot on the podium with a second-place finish in the 100m.
Alice Taylor used a clearance of 1.75m to finish fourth in the high jump.
Alex Gobran grabbed the final points for Rice with a fourth-place outing in the 5000m.
Cullen Merrell closed a terrific conference meet with a fifth-place showing in the 800m with a time of 2:10.85.
Heidi Nielson (fourth) and Amelie Attenborough (eighth) secured points in the 1500m, while Riana Green added a point for the Owls with an eighth-place showing in the 800m.
FRIDAY'S RECAP
Julia Johannesdottir earned a trip to the podium after finishing the heptathlon in third place to cap off her freshman campaign. Alice Taylor also grabbed a point with an eighth-place finish.
Over in the shot put, Morgan Fey moved from eighth to sixth on her final throw with a distance of 13.89m.
Molly Humes closed the women's competition for the night with a personal best time of 10:55.12 in the steeplechase to finish eighth.
THURSDAY'S RECAP
Mckyla Van der Westhuizen highlighted the day by defending her conference title in a dominant way, breaking the stadium record with a throw of 54.85m en route to her second consecutive conference crown.
Daphne Mayer closed the night with a bang, finishing second in the 10000m as a freshman, in just her second-ever race for the event. Alex Gobran also made her outdoor season debut by grabbing points in the event with a sixth-place finish.
"What a performance by Saniya Friendly in the 100m. She uses a lifetime best to reach the podium in second place and also now has a time to get into qualifying contention for the NCAA West Prelims. She also scored in the 200m and ran the final leg of the 4x100. I am so proud of her and what she was able to accomplish today. We had a trio just missing the podium today in fourth, with Alice Taylor in the high jump, Heidi Nielson in the 1500m and Alex Gobran in the 5000m. Tremendous competitors that showed why they can compete with the best in the conference. Amazing weekend by Alex, coming back in the last couple of weeks to score fourth in the 5000m and sixth in the 10000m. Very proud of her. Cullen Merrell, wow, what a meet for her. She comes in and finishes fifth today in the 800m. Amazing performance out of her this weekend. Our 4x100 team also ran very well, finishing sixth. And of course, we had Amelie Attenborough who also grabbed a point in the 1500m for us. A great performance by a great athlete who was able to come back and compete for us at the outdoor meet. Overall, I am so proud of the team. We now shift to the postseason, where we will hope to send four to the prelim meet in College Station."
100m
2. Saniya Friendly – 11.38
200m
6. Saniya Friendly – 23.80
400m
8. Riana Green – 54.17
800m
5. Cullen Merrell – 2:10.85
1500m
4. Heidi Nielson – 4:29.82
8. Amelie Attenborough – 4:34.97
5000m
4. Alex Gobran – 17:01.20
4x100
6. Riana Green, Julia Johannesdottir, Addison Zamzow, Saniya Friendly – 45.54
High Jump
4. Alice Taylor – 1.75m
FRIDAY'S RESULTS
3000m Steeplechase
8. Molly Humes – 10:55.12 (+1)
Shot Put
6. Morgan Fey – 13.89m
Heptathlon
3. Julia Johannesdottir – 5283 points (+6)
8. Alice Taylor – 5124 (+1)
THURSDAY'S RESULTS
10000m
2. Daphne Mayer – 35:05.67 (+8)
6. Alex Gobran – 35:38.45 (+3)
Javelin
1. Mckyla Van der Westhuizen – 54.85m (+10)
1. Charlotte – 123
2. South Florida – 108
3. UTSA – 99
4. Tulane – 89
5. Memphis – 75
6. Wichita State – 68
7. Rice – 67
8. North Texas – 66
8. East Carolina – 60
10. Florida Atlantic – 19
11. Tulsa – 18
12. UAB – 17
13. Temple – 10
Rice heads to College Station for the NCAA West Prelims.
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Throws
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Multis
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Jumps/Multis
/ Women's Track & Field
Javelin
/ Women's Track & Field
Multis
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