Richard Garrett Jr. opened the outdoor season with a gold medal in the shot put on Saturday (photo by Kevin Ellis).
SAN ANTONIO — Freshman Richard Garrett Jr. opened the outdoor season with a winning performance in the shot put to lead the UTSA men's track & field team at this weekend's Trinity Open.
Garrett Jr., the program's indoor record-holder, tossed the implement 53-10 ½ (16.42m) to top the 26-man field and it was the fourth-best performance in school history. The Garland native went on to throw the discus 139-0 (42.37m) an hour later, which was good for ninth place. On Friday night, he placed third in the hammer with his heave of 146-10 (44.77m) and that was good for fourth on UTSA's all-time chart.
Other top performers for the Roadrunners included freshman James Pailin, who circled the E.M. Stevens Track & Field Stadium oval in 49.65 to place second in the 400 meters, and fellow first-year athlete Sean Masek, who picked up a bronze medal in the javelin (174-0/53.03m).
Meanwhile, freshman Phil Steinert recorded the fifth-best discus performance in program annals with his fifth-place toss of 151-1 (46.06m). On Friday, Steinert launched the hammer 170-11 (52.10m), which was the third-best effort in school history, and he placed second (top collegian).
UTSA will resume outdoor action in three weeks at the Victor Lopez Invitational, which is scheduled for March 26-27 in Houston. In the interim, the Birds will send as many as three athletes to next weekend's NCAA Indoor Championships (Keith Benford, high jump/Devon Bond, triple jump/Teddy Williams, 60m).