STEPHENVILLE — The Tarleton State Track and Field endured a pair of meets in two separate states, setting a trio of new school records, recording fourth individual titles and setting 17 new top 10 performance bests.
The Texan jumpers competed at the JD Martin Invitational on Thursday hosted by the University of Oklahoma bringing home a pair of first place finishes. The meet originally scheduled for Friday was bumped up a day due to expected inclement weather. The Purple and White also set four new top 10 performance bests at the meet as well. On Friday, the Texans took to the Texas Tech Sports Performance Center to compete in the Stan Scott Invite. The sprinters set three new program records all placing in the top 30 in the NCAA this season. The squad also posted a pair of first place finishes and added 13 new top 10 performance bests.
“These past two weeks have shown what this team is really about,” said head coach Bobby Carter. “Between travel, different locations, and adjusting to a meet being moved up due to weather, our athletes stayed locked in and competed at a high level. Also, breaking these school records is a reflection of their belief, work ethic and the standard they’re setting every day. As always, I’m very proud of them and the standards they’re setting. The records matter, but what excites me the most is the direction of the program and the work that is still ahead.”
JD Martin Invitational
The Texans swept the long jump earning the event champion in both the men’s and women’s champions. Prestina Ochonogor opened the invitational earning the title in the long jump. Ochonogor’s best leap of 6.40 meters secured her first individual title of the indoor season. On the men’s side, Sathyanathan also won the individual crown. His best leap of 7.83 meters is a new season best. He claimed his first title after finishing in second in his first meet of the season in Oklahoma.
Also in the men’s long jump, Jalen Cadet set another personal best with a leap of 7.60 meters. Cadet improved his third best jump in program history behind Sir Jonathan Sims and Sathyanathan. Cadet placed third overall in the event. Sofia DeGroot climbed the record books with the second-best leap in program history also setting a new PR at 6.08 meters. She finished fifth. Newcomer, Sakina Umar Awam posted her best jump as a Texan, 5.65 meters to climb to seventh in program history.
In the women’s triple jump, Jayana Phillips posted the third best leap in program history stretching out to 12.11 meters. Phillips posted a fifth-place finish in the ten women field. In the men’s triple jump, Sir Jonathan Sims notched a fourth-place finish. His best leap of 15.52 meters came on his third jump of the competition.
Stan Scott Invite
The sprinters headed to Texas Tech for an all-day meet on Friday. Before returning home in the wintry conditions, the Texans broke three school records and set 13 new top 10 program bests. Lauren Roy, Emma Holmes and Ca’terrin Cox each set new school records while posting top NCAA times this season.
Ca’terrin Cox broke the first school record in the finals of the 60-meter hurdles. After posting a 7.92 second run in the prelims, just 0.01 seconds from his school record. In the finals, Cox placed third overall in a new school record time of 7.82 seconds. It marked Cox season debut, certainly a great start to his senior campaign.
Holmes shattered her own 400-meter record becoming the first Texan to run a sub-54 or sub-55 second 400 in indoor program history. Holmes not only broke the school record in 53.86 seconds but also took home the individual crown in the event. Holmes beat her own school record by over a second, a record she set last weekend at the Corky Classic in 55.18 seconds. She now owns a top 25 time in the NCAA as well.
Roy turned in the performance of the weekend, not just breaking, but smashing her own school record in the 200 meters. Roy became the first sub-23 second 200 runner clocking in a blazing 22.89 second run. She took home the individual crown by half of a second, the only sub-23 time in the field. Roy now holds the second fastest time this season in the NCAA.
In the women’s 60 meters, the tandem of Roy and Victoria Cameron placed 2-3 in the finals. Roy posted the best mark in the prelims in 7.30 seconds, before racing a new PR of 7.23 seconds in the finals to place second overall. Roy also set the Irish national lead, the fastest time by an Irish woman this year. Cameron ran the third fastest time in the prelims in 7.33 seconds and followed that up in the finals placing third overall in 7.32 seconds. Nellie Wartanian posted the fifth fastest time in program history in 7.45 seconds in the prelims, just shy of landing in the finals.
Malak Rashwan posted the seventh fastest time in the 60-meter hurdles to prelims to reach the finals. In the finals, she tied her school and Egyptian national record of 8.46 seconds for the second-consecutive weekend. Syenna Lara tied her personal best and seventh fastest time in the hurdles in 8.95 seconds.
In the women’s 400, Lahela Ray posted the seventh quickest time in program history crossing in 57.31 seconds. In the men’s 400, a pair posted new top 10 performance bests. Camden Hawkins ran the third fastest time in program history in 48.35 seconds, setting a new personal best. Ray Ochoa ran the 8th fastest time in school history in 48.98 seconds.
The Simmons twins each posted a top 10 program best in their season debut in the 800 meters. Christian Simmons placed fourth in the event in 1:52.55 seconds, the second fastest time in program history. His twin, Evan Simmons, placed sixth overall in 1:55.33 seconds, the seventh fastest in school history.
In Cameron’s debut of the indoor 200, she clocked in at 23.66 seconds, the second fastest in program history. Cameron placed fourth overall. Wartanian crossed in 24.30 seconds, tying Holmes’ mark from last weekend for the fifth fastest in program history.
In the men’s 200, David Mvundura turned in the second fastest time in school history in 21.20 seconds, breaking his PR of 21.28 seconds. He placed sixth overall in the event.
Tarleton State will be back in action next weekend once again at Robert Platt Invitational hosted by the University of Houston on Friday.
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