NEW YORK CITY — Program records set on Friday by sophomore Richard Garrett Jr. (shot put) and the distance medley relay team highlighted the UTSA men's track & field squad's opening day of action at the prestigious New Balance Invitational.
Garrett Jr.'s outstanding second campaign continued with a second-place finish in the shot put. Not only did the Garland native break the Roadrunners' school record for the third time in a season-and-a-half, but he also moved up to eighth nationally with his 61-7 (18.77m) measurement. He owns a pair of gold medals and a silver in his three outings this season and has bettered his personal best by nearly three-and-a-half feet in the process.
Meanwhile, the quartet of junior Albert Cardenas, senior Canel Cole and freshmen Crisshun Jamerson and Mike Medrano raced to a 9:59.76 in winning the college division of the DMR. The time was almost four seconds quicker than the 14-year-old record established by Shelby Snodgrass, Marcus Edwards, Sean Goetsch and Ryan Taylor at the 1997 Southland Conference Championships. It easily ranks as the top time in the league this winter.
Junior Kemar Marsden posted the top 60 meters time in the college section. His 6.97 topped the field of 48 sprinters.
UTSA's other top performances came from freshman Keyunta Hayes, who peeled off a personal-best 7.96 en route to a fourth-place finish in the 60m hurdles, and sophomore Nate Brunette, who sped to the second-fastest 200m preliminary time of the day (22.08).
The two-day meet concludes on Saturday.
