SAN ANTONIO – UTSA will hit the road to Birmingham, Ala., for the Air Force Reserve Conference USA Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 22-23, at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
The two-day event will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday with the first event in the men's heptathlon, with the women's pentathlon getting underway at 9:15 a.m. Field events will open at 2 p.m. with the running events starting at 4 p.m.
Sunday's will begin at 9 a.m. and will run until the awards presentation, slated for 4:15 p.m.
UTSA is under the leadership of Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Aaron Fox. UTSA will compete against league foes Charlotte, FIU, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Rice, Southern Miss, UTEP and WKU on both the men's and women's side, with FAU, Marshall and UAB only having a women's team.
Men's Preview
The UTSA men enter the C-USA Indoor Championships with 13 marks that rank in the top five in the league, including the highest point total in the heptathlon by Gary Haasbroek (5,712), the fastest time in the triple jump by Andre Douglas (5.71m; 51 feet, 6.5 inches) and the top time in the 60-meter hurdles by Bashiru Abdullahi (7.80).
Haasbroek, a sophomore All-American out of Melbourne, Australia, owns the top score in the heptathlon after a strong showing at the Houston G5 & Mid-Major Invitational. He also ranks fourth among C-USA scorers in the long jump (7.25m; 23-9.5) and fifth in the pole vault (5.00m; 15-4.75). He was named 2019 C-USA Freshman of the Meet after claiming top honors in the heptathlon. Haasbroek earned second-team indoor All-America honors with a 10th-place finish in the heptathlon at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Haasbroek is joined among the top-three marks in C-USA in the heptathlon by freshman Joel McFarlane (5,276) and senior Jacob McDaniel (4,742). McDaniel took the bronze medal in the heptathlon at last year's C-USA Indoor Championships.
A native of Benin City, Nigeria, Abdullahi is a two-time 2020 C-USA Indoor Athlete of the Week, and he owns the league's top time in the 60m hurdles with his school-record time of 7.80 seconds.
Douglas, a native of Kingston, Jamaica, leads the league with a 15.71m (51-6.5) mark in the triple jump. He won bronze in the triple jump at last year's C-USA Indoor Championships with a 15.30m (50-6) measurement.
In the long jump, the Englishman Turner (7.32m; 24-0.25) and the Australian Haasbroek (7.25m; 23.9.5) rank third and fourth, respectively, among C-USA competitors.
Junior Grant Szalek, a native of Perth, Australia, ranks second among C-USA high jumpers (2.04m; 6-8.25), with Jamal Anderson (2.00m; 6-6.75) – a product of San Antonio's Wagner High School – and Haasbroek (2.00m; 6-6.75) tied for third.
UTSA's distance medley relay team has the third-best time in the conference (10:14.65).
Senior Mikael Dawkins – a native of Leander, Texas – owns the fifth-best time in the 200m (21.64) and the sixth-best time in the 60m (6.83).
Freshman Paul Bouey, a native of Santiago, Chile, sports the fifth-best mark in the shot put (15.74m; 51-7.75).
The men won the 2013 team title in their first try as a member of Conference USA. The Roadrunners then placed seventh in 2014, second in both 2015 and 2016 and third in 2017. UTSA earned a runner-up finish in 2018 and placed third last year for its fifth consecutive top-three finish at a league indoor meet.
UTSA won eight straight conference indoor crowns from 2006 to 2013, the first seven as a member of the Southland Conference before grabbing gold in its only year in the Western Athletic Conference. The Roadrunners also own seven runner-up finishes and have finished third or better at all but one conference indoor meet since 2005.
The Roadrunners have combined to win 81 individual and relay league titles indoors. UTSA also can claim five high-point scorer, four athlete of the year, three outstanding track performer, two outstanding field performer, a pair of freshman of the year, one field athlete of the year and two freshman of the meet accolades in its history. Additionally, Fox has been named conference coach of the year eight times during his tenure.
Women's Preview
The UTSA women travel to Birmingham with 12 marks that rank in the top-five in C-USA, including freshman Amaya Scott's league-best mark in the long jump (6.17m; 20-3), although she will not be able to compete this weekend.
In the pentathlon, UTSA has two of the top three scores in the league, with freshmen Sigrid Klieve – a native of Norway – and Maren Wilms — a product of Melsbach, German — each scoring 3,550 at the Houston G5 & Mid-Major Invitational.
A product of Converse's Judson High School, Maia Campbell headlines UTSA's throwers. Campbell ranks second in C-USA in both disciplines, posting an 18.46m (60-6.75) mark in the weight throw and a 15.12m (59-7.25) measurement in shot put. Last year, Campbell scored points after a sixth-place finish in the weight throw (18.19m; 59-8.25).
Lacee Barnes, a junior from the Cayman Islands, ranks fourth in C-USA in the shot put (14.51m; 47-7.25).
In the triple jump, junior Danielle Spence – a native of Kingston, Jamaica, ranks third among C-USA competitors (12.59m; 41-3.75). She won the event — and finished second in the long jump — at last year's C-USA Indoor Championships, breaking her own UTSA triple jump record with a mark of 13.37m (43-10.5). She became UTSA's first female all-American in the indoor triple jump, and second in the discipline overall since 1985 outdoor All-American Starlite Williams, after she finished 13th overall for second-team honors at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships in the triple jump.
Austrian freshman Ingeborg Gruenwald (6.03m; 19-9.5) checks in at fourth among league long jumpers.
UTSA's distance medley relay team has the fifth-best time (12:09.37) in the league.
A product of Converse's Judson High School, senior Darionne Gibson's time of 55.55 in the 400m ranks fourth in C-USA. She finished sixth at last year's indoor championships with a time of 56.26.
A native of DeSoto, Texas, freshman Taylor Armstrong's time of 24.50 in the 200m ranks fifth in the circuit.
Senior Olivia Esemena, a native of Arlington, Texas, checks in at fourth among C-USA times in the 60m (7.53). Last year, Esemana narrowly missed a spot on the podium with a fourth-place time of 7.50 in the 60m.
The women placed second in their first two years in C-USA in 2013 and 2014, then claimed eighth in 2015, ninth in 2016, fourth in 2017, sixth in 2018 and seventh last year.
The Roadrunners have won three team titles (1992-94) and finished second five times during their history. UTSA has turned in a top-five showing at 20 conference indoor meets including three times as a member of C-USA.
UTSA has captured a combined 64 individual and relay titles at conference indoor meets on the women's side. The Roadrunners have earned six outstanding track performer, five athlete of the year and five high-point scorer certificates to go along with one outstanding field performer accolade and a newcomer of the year honor.
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