| Junior Jessica Jones clocked a season best for the second week in a row on Saturday. |
EL PASO ? Junior Jessica Jones won the 100-meter hurdles and sophomore Jayde James grabbed gold in 800m to highlight action for the UTSA women’s track & field team at the UTEP Invitational held Saturday at Kidd field.
Jones sped to a season-best 13.94 to take top honors in the 110m hurdles ahead of New Mexico State’s Devin Brooks (14.04). That time was aided by a 4.0 meters/second wind and was a mere .02 seconds off the NCAA regional qualifying standard.
Jayde, a Leesburg, Va., native, circled the oval twice in 2:24.44 in a brutal wind to edge freshman teammate Rebecca Crain, who crossed in 2:25.80.
In the field, freshman Amber Byars ? UTSA’s No. 2 all-time performer ? inched closer to the school’s hammer throw record (Natasha Ramos/142-7), heaving the implement out to a 139-6 measure for seventh place. Sophomore Taelor Wilson was close behind in ninth with a 134-4 effort.
Byars also posted a 139-3 mark to place fourth in the discus and move into the No. 4 position on the school’s all-time performers list.
Meanwhile, freshman Lindsay Nguyen topped 10-2 in her first outdoor pole vault of the season. That clearance was good for fourth place and made her the school’s No. 2 all-time performer behind Stephanie Henslee (11-0 1/4).
Sophomore Rebekah Hill took advantage of a strong wind, skipping out to a personal-best 39-0 1/4 measure to finish fourth overall and third among collegiate competitors in the triple jump.
Back on the track, the 4x100m relay team of senior Shanelle Slaughter, junior Jessica Jones and sophomore Kayla Thomas and Shavonne Armbrister passed the baton to a third-place time of 48.57 in their first race of the season. Freshman Courtney Nelson clocked an 8:08.08 to garner runner-up honors in the 2,000m steeplechase.
In other action, sophomore Aimee Jonas cleared 5-1 to place fourth overall and third among collegians in the high jump, while the 4x400m relay squad of Armbrister Thomas, Crain and freshman Celeste Smoote took third in 4:09.14.
The Roadrunners return to the track next Friday, April 17, when they travel to Austin to compete in the Texas Twilight.