AUSTIN – Tarleton State Track and Field set a new program record posting four medalists and setting three new school records this weekend at the Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field.
In her Texas Relays debut, freshman Prestina Ochonogor earned silver in the long jump while setting a new school record. In his final appearance at the Texas Relays, senior Angel Gomez also earned silver and shattered the school record in the 10,000 meters on Thursday night. On the final day of action a pair of athletes earned medalist honors. Victoria Cameron took home bronze in the 100 meters while setting a new program all conditions record. Gabriele Tosti ended the day for the Texans with a bronze medal in the triple jump while posting the second-best leap in program history.
“It was a great weekend for our Texans,” said head coach Bobby Carter. “Competing alongside this level of competition is what we seek for in every competition. It’s great experience for all of our athletes including our freshman. We had three school records broken, which is always a good thing to have. Getting to watch Prestina break the outdoor long jump record this weekend was very exciting. Also having Tori break the 100 meter record was good to see as well, especially in the phase of training that we are in at the moment. Also, was a great moment for Angel breaking the record in the 10K on Thursday night. We are in a good spot as we continue to move through our outdoor season.”
In total, the Texans set three new school records in the second outdoor competition of the season. Nine athletes also posted new top 10 program performance bests in their respective events.
On Thursday night in a late night at the track, Gomez set a new 10K school record shattering the record set by Angel Contreras last season by 44 seconds. Gomez also set a new personal best by over a minute and 15 seconds crossing in 30:30.30. The senior held second place for nearly the entire race after starting the first 5000 meters with a pacer that controlled the lead. Gomez then assumed the second-place position where he stayed comfortably until the final few laps. The Mansfield, Texas, native, took on a challenge from a University of Dallas runner, but ultimately beat him by several seconds in the final lap to earn his first Texas Relays silver medal. Gomez became the second distance runner in two years to medal, following the footsteps of Morgan Lamberson last season.
The Texans gained their second medal of the weekend on Friday in the women’s long jump. Ochonogor nearly took the crown posting a best leap of 6.48 meters, a new wind legal school record. The freshman boasted her best jump on her second attempt, earning the second-best leap heading into the final three jumps. She was unable to surpass unattached Jasmine Adkins who competes at the professional record, who’s first jump of 6.49 meters edged Ochonogor by a centimeter.
Victoria Cameron set a new school record in her first race in the 100 meters. In Friday’s prelims, Cameron posted a 11.36 qualifying time, the new school record. On Saturday, she ran a blazing 11.09 seconds to earn a bronze medal, her first as a collegian at the Texas Relays. With the wind being at a non-legal, 3.9 meters per second, she set a new Tarleton State all conditions record.
Gabriele Tosti earned his first medal at the Texas Relays in the triple jump. Tosti’s best leap of 16.13 meters came on his second jump. The senior was just 0.12 meters from tying the school record set in 1977.
Lauren Roy competed in a heat in the 100 after Cameron on Friday running a time that also would have broken the school record. Roy finished second in her 100-meter competition running a 11.45 that would have qualified as a top eight time in the finals heat had she been allowed to enter.
Freshman Malak Rashwan competed in her first heptathlon of the outdoor season on Wednesday and Thursday, the first Texan athlete to compete this week. Rashwan boasted personal bests in three of her four competitions on Wednesday to head into the final day among the top five in the event. In the 100-meter hurdles, the Egypt native crossed in 14.09, the fourth-fastest mark in program history. She finished fourth among the heptathletes in the hurdles and second in the 200 meters. Rashwan finished in eighth on Thursday with 4839 points the third-most in the heptathlon in program history. Earlier this year, Rashwan set the indoor school record in the pentathlon.
Lokesh Sathyanathan earned sixth place in the men’s long jump on Friday afternoon. The senior transfer logged a best leap of 7.50 meters on his third jump. Sathyanathan posted the fifth-best jump in program history tying current teammate Reid Vincent. Sir Jonathan Sims notched the seventh best time in school history with a best leap of 7.30 meters.
Sofia DeGroot entered the Texas Relays with the fourth best leap in program history and she improved her personal best by 0.2 meters. DeGroot notched a 12.31 jump on her fifth attempt to set a new personal record and earn fourth in the event. The sophomore tallied a pair of jumps that surpassed her previous best heading into the weekend.
In the night of distance runners on Thursday evening, Morgan Lamberson and Sage Lancaster notched a pair of top eight finishes. Lamberson earned seventh in the 3000 Steeplechase crossing just four seconds short of her school record she set last season. Lancaster finished in eighth in the 1500, just a tenth of a second off her personal best.
Tarleton State will continue its outdoor slate next week in a short drive from Stephenville. The Texans will head to North Texas for the Bill Schmidt Invite on Friday and Saturday. The Purple and White will send multiple athletes both day with the hammer throw competition starting on Friday at 2 p.m.
1 Trackback / Pingback