LEVELLAND — The South Plains College men's and women's track and field teams will compete in their final meet before nationals when they travel to Lubbock on Saturday for the Texas Tech Masked Rider Open at the Terry & Linda Fuller Track and Field Complex on the campus of Texas Tech University.
The meet will get underway with field events at 11 a.m. beginning with the men's and women's javelin and will conclude with the men's and women's triple jump which is set for 5 p.m. The running events will begin at 5 p.m. with the women's 3000 meter steeplechase and will come to an end at 8:55 p.m. following the men's 4x400 relay. A full schedule for the meet is listed below.
Ranked first in the latest USTFCCCA national poll, the Texans will look to tie up any loose ends on Saturday as they enter the meet with 47 national qualifying marks to date and have set several of the top marks in the country. Those include: Markim Felix (Javelin, 240' 3"); Holland Martin (Triple jump, 52' 8.25"); Fabian Edoki (Long jump, 26' 7"); 4x400 (3:08.23).
Ranked third in this week's USTFCCCA national poll, the Lady Texans have qualified 29 athletes for the national meet and have set two of the top marks in the country. Freshman Jelena Rowe holds the top mark in the women's high jump with a clearance of 6' 0.5" at the Charlie Thomas Invitational on Feb. 2. The Lady Texans also recorded the top 4x400 relay time on Mar 28 at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin as Ashley Hughes, Janiel Moore, Agnes Abrocquah, and Natassha McDonald clocked a 3:40.49. Sophomore Seselia Dala also ranks second in the women's 5000 meters (17:32.05) and third in the 1500 meters with a 4:44.50.
Texas Tech Masked Rider Open meet schedule:
Field Events
11:00am Javelin Men, Women to follow @ throws field
1:00pm Discus Women, Men to follow @ throws field
1:00pm Shot Put Men, Women to follow @ throws field
3:00pm Long Jump Women, Men to follow
3:00pm High Jump Women, Men to follow
3:30pm Hammer* Women, Men to follow @ throws field
4:00pm Pole Vault Men, Women to follow
5:00pm Triple Jump Women, Men to follow
Running Events:
5:00pm 3K Steeple Women
5:15pm 3K Steeple Men
5:30pm 4x100m Relay Women
5:35pm 4x100m Relay Men
5:40pm 1500 meters Women
5:50pm 1500 meters Men
6:05pm 100m Hurdles Women
6:15pm 110m Hurdles Men
6:25pm 400 meters Women
6:30pm 400 meters Men
6:40pm 100 meters Women
6:50pm 100 meters Men
7:00pm 800 meters Women
7:10pm 800 meters Men
7:25pm 400m Hurdles Women
7:30pm 400m Hurdles Men
7:45pm 200 meters Women
7:55pm 200 meters Men
8:10pm 5000 meters Women
8:30pm 5000 meters Men
8:50pm 4X400m Relay Women
8:55pm 4X400m Relay Men
Last time out:
The Texans finished second overall at the West Texas A&M Invitational in Canyon with 155 points, with West Texas A&M taking the top spot with 163 points. Angelo State, Eastern New Mexico, and Western Texas College rounded out the top five. The Lady Texans tallied 86 points, good enough for third, with West Texas A&M and Angelo State taking the top two spots.
South Plains' Mason Weh kicked off the afternoon with a personal best in the men's 110 hurdles, turning in a blistering 13.61 to take first overall. Fellow Texan Patrick Johnson placed second, clocking a 13.94. In the men's 3000-meter steeplechase, Jesse Madrid turned in a 10:12.17 to take first overall.
The Texans clocked a 40.30 in the men's 4x100 relay as Brandon Letts, Andre Edwards, Keion Sutton, and Willari Watson placed first for the orange and blue. The Lady Texans placed a pair in the top five in the women's 1500 meters as Seselia Dala ran a 4:50.87, good enough for third, and sophomore Leslie Romero took fourth with a 4:57.19.
The Texans put two inside the top three in the men's 1500 meters as Andrew Bosquez placed first with a 4:01.20, and Filmon Beyene placed third with a 4:10.70. Sophomore sprint specialist Natassha McDonald clocked a 53.92 in the women's 400 meter, earning first place honors for the Lady Texans. Agnes Abrocquah wasn't far behind, crossing the line at 55.52 to take fourth.
In the men's 400 meters, Montel Hood clocked a 47.46 to take second, followed by Jordan Atkinson who placed sixth with a 48.53. Omotayo Abolaji posted an 11.63 to take first in the women's 100 meters, while Andre Edwards placed second in the men's 100 meters with a 10.46. Letts and Sutton also placed inside the top five as Letts placed fourth with a 10.62, and Sutton took fifth with a 10.71.
South Plains' Janiel Moore earned a third-place finish in the women's 400 meter hurdles with a time of 1:02.58, while Myles Scott placed fourth for the Texans in the men's 400 hurdles with a 53.33. Willari Watson clocked a 21.75 in the men's 200 meters to take first, while sophomore All-American Felix Kosgei was business as usual in the men's 5000 meters, placing first with a 15:30.92.
South Plains swept the men's and women's 4x400 relays as Abrocquah, Ashley Hughes, McDonald, and Moore turned in a 3:42.75 in the women's 4x400, while Ian Gonzales, Hood, Atkinson, and Dekaryea Freeman posted a 3:11.34. In the men's high jump, Bryson Deberry placed second with a clearance of 6' 8.75". Ruth Usoro took first in the women's long jump with a mark of 19' 8", while Cha'Kaylin Gilbert took fourth with a mark of 18' 5.25".
Holland Martin placed first in the men's long jump with a mark of 25' .75", while Danylo Molchanov placed fifth with a jump of 22' 10". In the women's pole vault, Olney, Texas native Kodee Scott set a national qualifying mark and a personal best after clearing 10' 6". In the women's triple jump, Usoro took fourth with a mark of 39' 10", while Gilbert placed sixth with a mark of 39' 7.25". Molchanov capped the afternoon with a second place finish, soaring 50' 6.75".