SHAWNEE, Okla. (April 20, 2019) – It's three outdoor track and field seasons and three Great American Conference shot put championships for Oklahoma Christian thrower Destiny Grace.

The junior from Rockwall, Texas – an underdog entering this year's GAC competition – unleased a season-best throw of 42 feet, 8¾ inches (13.02 meters) to take top honors at the GAC Championships, which ended Saturday at Hurt Memorial Track.

Grace was one of six Eagles to earn All-GAC first- or second-team honors Saturday as OC finished fourth among 10 teams in the meet with 34 points. Harding (Ark.) won the title with 213 points, with host Oklahoma Baptist second at 201 and Southern Arkansas third with 113. OC finished ahead of East Central, Rogers State, Northwestern Oklahoma State, Southwestern Oklahoma State, Southern Nazarene and Southeastern Oklahoma State.

Despite her status as a two-time defending champion, Grace wasn't considered the favorite in the GAC shot put this year. She entered the meet ranked only sixth in the league in the event, with a previous best throw of 41 feet, ½ inch.

But on her third attempt Saturday, she seized the lead with what proved to be the winning mark as watched and waited as her competition wasn't able to match. The runner-up was Julianna Horner of Oklahoma Baptist at 42 feet 4¼ inches (12.91 meters).

Grace completed a GAC sweep, as she also won the title at the inaugural GAC Indoor Championships in February in Norman. Unfortunately, she won't get a chance to go 4-for-4 outdoors in the GAC, as OC will begin competing next season in the Lone Star Conference.

Grace, obviously, was a first-team All-GAC honoree in the shot put, and her teammate Maia Zeno made the second-team list by finishing fifth with a throw of 40 feet, 2 inches (12.24 meters). Zeno, a senior from Heath, Texas, added that honor to the first-team award she earned Friday with a runner-up finish in the hammer.

Another OC thrower, senior Alexus Woolly of Ardmore, took third in the discus with a career-best throw of 140 feet, 7 inches (42.87 meters). Woolly won the GAC title her freshman and sophomore seasons before taking third as a junior and senior, earning All-GAC first-team honors all four years.

Also in the field events, OC freshman Morgan Ray of Edmond earned All-GAC second-team honors by finishing sixth in the long jump with a mark of 17 feet, 8 inches (5.38 meters) – just three inches shy of Stephanie Horne's school record set in 1994.

Two OC sprinters also made the All-GAC second-team list. In the 100 meters, freshman Aysha Robinson of Round Rock, Texas, placed fifth in a season-best time of 12.13 seconds, and in the 400 meters, senior Leisa VanVooren of Bedford, Texas, finished sixth in a season-best time of 57.76 seconds.

While the outdoor season will be over for some OC track and field athletes, some others will continue on for a few more weeks. Up next for those Eagles will be the prestigious Drake Relays, which will run from Thursday through Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.

Aysha Robinson in the 100 meters: https://youtu.be/mGzLm-JZrVc 
Destiny Grace in the shot put: https://youtu.be/zmQ3OB8HKaU 
Leisa VanVooren in the 400 meters: https://youtu.be/U5Ffb6wzHR0
Women's 4x100-meter relay: https://youtu.be/xwKpjBFusOc