SEATTLE – Tarleton State Track and Field crowned three individual champions, set six school records, a new WAC all-time record, meet record and facility record on the first day of the 2025 WAC Indoor Track and Field Championships at The Podium on Friday.
After the first day, both the men’s and women’s squads hold in third place. The men have posted 38 points, trailing the leading Utah Valley Wolverines by 23 points after five scored events. On the women’s side, the Purple and White have notched 42 points, 33 points behind Utah Valley.
“What an outstanding first day for both of our teams,” said head coach Bobby Carter. “We had many school records, personal bests and a facility record broken today. One thing that I told my team last night is that we don’t relate, we elevate. They definitely elevated today. However, the job is not finished. Tomorrow is a new day, and they are ready to take it up a notch. As I always say, “Greater is Coming”!”
In total, 13 athletes combined to win 14 All-WAC honors. Six athletes notched First Team All-WAC honors finishing in the top three in their event. Second Team All-WAC recognition was given to those that finished in fourth to eighth place in their event. In addition, the Texans posted 15 qualifying entries into tomorrow’s track finals.
2024 Paris Olympian Prestina Ochonogor stole the show at the end of the first day. The Benin, Nigeria, native, broke the school, all-time WAC, Indoor Championships and facility record across her six jumps. Her fourth jump of 6.64 meters, broke each of the records, and became the sixth-best jump in the NCAA this season. Each of her first five leaps were the top five in school history, breaking a 10-year old school record set by Euphemia Eden in 2015. Ochonogor broke The Podium facility record set by 2020 Olympian Quanesha Burks in 2022 of 6.55 meters. Ochonogor just arrived to the United States less than two weeks ago and was competing in her first collegiate meet.
Three other Texan women also reached into the top eight. Sofia DeGroot posted a personal best and improved her fourth best leap in school history jumping 5.90 meters. She finished runner-up and earned her first All-WAC First Team Honors. Amelie Monzie recorded a sixth-place finished an earned All-WAC honors leaping 5.67 meters. Malak Rashwan set a new personal best and improved her eighth-best jump in school history to 5.50 meters and earn Second Team All-WAC.
Tayler Wessely had a career day breaking her own school record, not just once, but four times to become the WAC champion in the weight throw. On her first throw of the day, she broke her record she set earlier in the season with a 17.85-meter toss, which would have won her the event, but she wasn’t done. On each of her next two throws, she surpassed her record again with throws of 17.89 and 18.36 meters. After a pair of fouled throws, she improved her mark with an 18.48-meter (60 feet, 7.75 inches) toss to win the women’s weight throw. Wessely owned the top four tosses in the competition and earned the gold and First Team All-WAC honors in her first season with the Texans.
Sir Jonathan Sims earned his first WAC Championship in the men’s long jump. Sims was the top the Texan top four sweep in the event. Sims won the event on his fourth jump, a 7.71 meter leap. He edged Lokesh Sathyanathan who currently ranks in the top five in the nation in the event, with his best jump of 7.68 meters coming on his second event. Reid Vincent finished third in the event with a one-and-done first jump of 7.39 meters. Vincent also ran a pair of track events and passed on his next five jumps to save his energy for the rest of the day. Gabriele Tosti rounded out the Texan sweep with a personal-best leap of 7.28 meters. Jordan Flores leaped 7.05 meters to claim seventh and the fifth Texan to earn All-WAC honors in the event. With five point scorers, the Texans grabbed 31 team points in the long jump.
Lauren Roy set the new school record while notching the top qualifying time in the 200 meters, 23.58 seconds. Roy improved her Ireland 2025 national best time that she set two weeks ago in New Mexico. Amandine Estival improved her third-best time in program history with a 23.94-second performance, the fourth best in the prelims. Hanna Dudley also qualified crossing in 24.11, the sixth-fastest preliminary performance.
Estival also qualified for the finals in the 400 meters in 55.90, 0.43 seconds away from her school record. She recorded the sixth-best time in the prelims and was the only Texan to qualify for the finals.
Jacob Thomas set the new pole vault school record clearing the 5.02-meter mark on his first attempt. Thomas cleared each of his first four heights on the first try including his attempt at tying the former record of 4.92 meters. Thomas earned Second Team All-WAC honors for the first time in his career, placing sixth.
Kaitlyn Gale earned Second Team All-WAC honors in the 5000 in the last individual women’s race of the night. The freshman finished in eighth in 17:50.71.
Aidan Matthews broke his 200-meter school record for the second time this season. He became the first Texan to post a sub-21 second time crossing in 20.94 seconds. Matthews posted the second-best qualifying time and was one of three athletes to break 21 seconds. The Maypearl, Texas, native, also advanced to the finals in the 60-meter dash as well. He tied for the second fastest time in program history previously set by Reid Vincent at 6.73 seconds. The senior qualified with the sixth-best preliminary time.
In the first event of the day, Tarleton State had two athletes competing in the pentathlon. In the first of five events, Malak Rashwan tied her own school record and Egpyt national record with an 8.51-second performance in the 60-meter hurdles. She also set a new personal best with a 5.51-meter high jump performance, the seventh best leap in school history. Rashwan earned a fourth-place finish with 3545 total points, eight shy of tying her school record. Jordan Rae earned an eighth-place finish 3281 total points. Rae posted personal bests in the 60-hurdles (9.19 seconds), 800 meters (2:43.72) and the long jump (5.24 meters). Both Rae and Rashwan earned All-WAC second team honors. Rashwan also ran in the open 60-meter hurdles later in the day qualifying for the finals in 8.59 seconds.
Victoria Cameron posted the best time in the women’s 60-meter prelims with her worst time of the season, 7.26 seconds. She missed setting the WAC Indoor Championships record by 0.02 seconds. Dudley also advanced to the final posting the second-best time in school history and the fourth best prelim time in 7.42 seconds. Roy became the third Texan to advance to the finals recording the third best time in school history in 7.44 seconds.
In the women’s mile, the Texans had two runners earn a spot in Saturday’s finals. Morgan Lamberson earned the sixth best qualifying time crossing in 5:00.28. Sage Lancaster clinched the 10th and final spot posting the second-best time in school history of 5:02.32. Lamberson also qualified for the finals in the 800. Just a few hours after running the mile, she finished in 2:13.90, the sixth-fastest preliminary time.
A pair of Texans advance to tomorrow’s finals in the men’s 60-meter hurdles. Omar Khaled Mahmoud posted the third best time in program history, crossing in 7.96 seconds, the fourth fastest in the prelims. Nathan Franco claimed the final spot in the finals, racing in 8.16 seconds to post the seventh best time in program history.
Both the men’s and women’s DMR teams posted a top 10 performance in school history. The women’s group posted the fourth best time in program history in 12:25.71. The men’s crew tied for the fifth best time in school history in 10:16.97.
Tarleton State will end the WAC Championships on Saturday. The field events start with the men’s high jump at 12:15 pm. The ESPN+ broadcast begins at 4:30 pm CT with the women’s mile.
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