ABILENE— With 61 national qualifying marks to date, the South Plains College track and field teams showed no signs of slowing down this weekend at the ACU Wes Kittley Invitational in Abilene.
Kelvin Keter continued his dominance in the men's 800 and 1500 meters, as the sophomore from Kenya took first in both events, finishing with final times of 1:55.29 and 4:00.10. Hassan Abdi finished just four seconds behind in the 1500, as the Amarillo native crossed the finish line at the 4:04.42 mark, good enough for second place overall.
Houston native DeVante Lacy flew past the field in the men's 400 meters, as the sophomore placed first overall with a finishing time of 47.40. The Texans' Dedrian Windham would place second in the 400 with a final time of 49.13. Jose Silva, Connor Hughes and Omero Rodriguez dominated the field in the men's 5000 meters, as the Texan trio took the top three spots overall, with final times of 15:44.09, 16:06.30 and 16:24.28, respectively.
The Texans' Robert Dunning would go on to take first overall in the men's 110 hurdles with a finishing time of 14.21, while Roje Jackson-Chin and Gabriel Moore placed second and third for SPC with final times of 14.59 and 16.12, respectively. In the men's 3000 steeplechase, the Texans' Nicholas Rotich took the top spot with a final time of 9:45.51, while Kwaume McGee placed first in the men's high jump with a final height of 6' 6.75".
Saahir Bethea would go on to take first overall for the Texans in the men's long jump and triple competions, finishing with final distances of 24' 5.5" and 48' 4", respectively. The Texans' 4x400 relay team comprised of Okeen Williams, Lacy, Windham and Cordell Richardson went on to take the top position with their final time of 3:17.21. The Texans would then go on to take the top spot in the 4x100 relay, as Derrick Monroe, Jackson-Chin, Williams and Lacy combined for a final time of 3:17.21.
On the women's side, the Lady Texans were led by sophomore Aaliyah Telesford, who went on to take the top spot in the women's 100 and 200 meters, finishing with final times of 11.71 and 24.79, respectively. In the women's 800 meters, Latriceia Smith would take first overall for the Lady Texans with a finishing time of 2:23.95. In the women's 5000 meters, Poro Gahekave went on to take first for SPC, finishing with a final time of 19:34.38. Medinah Spencer would add to the first place finishers for the Lady Texans, as the sophomore from Baltimore took first overall in the 100 hurdles with a final time of 13.97.
Morgan Hartsell continues to impress as one of the nation's elite in the pole vault competition, as the Lubbock native took first with a final height of 12' 2.5". Any Garcias-Solis finished first in the women's triple jump with a final distance of 38' 8.75", while Kionna Bradshaw's final throw of 46' 4.75" was good enough for first in the women's shot put.
Tasha Crosse went on to take first place overall for the Lady Texans in the women's discus, as the sophomore from Jamaica had a final distance of 146' 6". Selena Orlenas would then go on to take the top position in the women's javelin with a final throw of 113' 6".
The Lady Texans dominated the field in the relay events on Saturday, as Telesford, Deja Harrison, Smith and Prieto took the top position in the 4x400 relay with a final time of 3:46.04, while Alexis Hyshaw, Spencer, Joi Gill and Telesford placed second in the 4x100 with a final time of 46.38
Following yet another outstanding performance from both teams, the Texans and Lady Texans will be back in action this weekend as they are set to compete at the Texas Tech Open in Lubbock beginning on Friday, April 15.