COLLEGE STATION — The South Plains College men's and women's track and field teams wrapped up day two of the Charlie Thomas Invitational Saturday at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium at the McFerrin Athletic Center.
South Plains will be back on the track next weekend at the Texas Tech Shootout Feb. 11-12, and will wrap up their final meet before indoor nationals at the Texas Tech Matador Qualifier Feb 18 in Lubbock.
The Texans placed three in the finals of the men's 800 meters, as Chevonne Hall, Mehdi Yanouri, and Aron Tanui placed fifth, sixth, and eighth, respectively. Hall crossed the line in 1:53.31, while Yanouri ran a 1:53.32, and Tanui finished in 1:53.57. In the men's 200 meters, Keontae Gaines placed eighth in a time of 21.38.
"We were really happy with the way our guys ran the 800 and feel we have a lot of depth there," South Plains head coach Erik Vance said. "I'm happy with the way they went out and competed, and they will keep learning and getting better every week."
In the men's 4x400 relay, the Texans posted the fourth-fastest time in junior college history, running a blistering time of 3:07.88 to take third overall. Texas A&M was first in 3:04.84, while Houston was second in 3:06.28.
"We have a tough decision every week to figure out which four to put out there," Vance said. "We haven't got it right yet, and haven't put the four fastest guys on the track on a specific day. Honestly, we can't get it wrong, because we have six to eight guys who can run well for us. Being in that fast heat with teams like Texas A&M, we definitely looked like we belonged in that race."
In the women's high jump, freshman Amaya Brown placed third with a clearance of 5' 6". Kudakwashe Chadenca set a new school record in the men's high jump with a mark of 7' 2.5, tying for first on the weekend as former South Plains standout Bryson DeBerry also cleared 7' 2.5" for UT-Arlington.
"It's always a pleasure to see our former kids and compete against them," Vance said. "One of our jobs is to get them to go be successful at the next level. Bryson is one who has gone above and beyond what our expectations were for him, and has turned into one of the better jumpers in the NCAA. Bryson is a great mentor to our kids and at the end of the day he wants our kids to be successful and appreciates his time at South Plains."
In the pentathlon, Jamelia Simmons posted the fourth top score in the NJCAA with 3107 points, while Joniar Thomas racked up 2933 points, the seventh top score this season. In the women's 800 meters, Cemore Donald clocked the sixth fastest indoor time this season in 2:18.94, while Camille Lewis turned in the 11th fastest time in 2:23.47. In the women's 400 meters, Success Umukoro posted the eighth fastest indoor time this season, posting a 56.95.
In the heptathlon, Nelvin Appiah-Konadu placed eight overall with 4717 points. Appiah-Konadu won the 1000 meter run with a time of 2:45.41, and was third in the high jump with a clearance of 6' 3.5". TaraLee McKarns placed 11th in the women's pole vault for the Lady Texans, clearing the bar at 10' 11.75".
South Plains notched a second place finish in the men's distance medley, as the Texans posted the third-fastest time in NJCAA history, clocking a 9:51.67. Houston was first in 9:48.57, while Alabama took third in 9:54.92. In the men's Group A pole vault event, sophomore Thomas Nieto placed sixth overall, clearing 16' 6.5".