WALESKA, Ga. — After claiming a pair of weekly conference accolades during the indoor season, Montreat College's Emma Barnes picked up right where she left off with the start of the 2026 outdoor slate. According to a release from the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) office on Monday evening, Barnes is the newest AAC Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week.
 
Barnes and the Montreat College women's track & field team began the outdoor portion of their schedule last Friday and Saturday with the Montreat College Open. Competing at Pulliam Stadium, Barnes made the most of her chances at her home facility. Overall, the senior participated in four field events and two track events, and she notched three wins in the process.
 
The Waxhaw, N.C., native's top showing came in the shot put. Among a field of 19 athletes, Barnes concluded first thanks to her school-record mark of 12.88m. She also seized first in the javelin, beating out 14 other competitors with a top throw of 37.65m. Meanwhile, Barnes placed second and seventh in the high jump and the long jump, respectively. Barnes cleared 1.47m in the former event and leapt 4.78m in the latter event.
 
Additionally, Barnes impressed on the track, delivering another school record in the 100m hurdles. The multis star bounded her way to a 15.18-second time, good for first out of six participants. She also ended fourth out of 25 sprinters in the 200m dash, needing just 26.31 seconds to cross the finish line.
 
In total, Barnes registered three wins, two school records and six AAC standards.
 
For the official AAC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week release, click here.
 
The Montreat College women's track & field team splits up among a trio of meets across three states this upcoming weekend. The Cavaliers are sending athletes to the Raleigh Relays on Thursday and Friday, the King University Invitational on Friday and Saturday and the Landon Bond Classic on Saturday.