SAN ANTONIO – The Roadrunners got track and field competition under way at two South Texas sites on Thursday, opening up three days of action at the 97th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin and the Bobcat Invitational in San Marcos.
On the big national stage in Austin at Mike A. Myers Stadium, UTSA garnered two advancements to Friday’s final, as redshirt freshman Selma Ims opened the Texas Relays with a personal-best 400m time of 57.52, moving on with a fifth-place finish. Appearing in the event’s timed final section, freshman Kyla Hill came in ninth with a 1:03.14 clocking.
In the men’s 400m hurdles, graduate transfer Hugo Menin also earned another opportunity, via a third-place first-round finish with a season-best 51.07 time. In the timed final section, freshman Charlie Staddon crossed the line in seventh on a time of 54.28 for a new personal best.
Junior Leah Smith turned in the first top 10 finish for the Roadrunners at the Texas State Track & Field Complex, coming in third in the 100m B Section on a career-best 12.01 clocking. Topping throws finishes for UTSA, freshman Waylon McKenzie logged an eighth-place finish in the discus on a measurement of 45.48m (149-2). Leading off the distance section for the night, junior Victor Charo registered a season-best 1:52.24 for sixth place. Senior O.J. Ruiz came into the line with a career-best 9:38.04 to finish fifth in the 3,000m steeplechase to close off the top UTSA finishers for the night.
Competition will continue on Friday at both venues, as the second day of Texas Relays action kicks off with the 100m hurdles at 10:30 a.m., while the hammer throw initiates the Bobcat Invitational at 10 a.m. in San Marcos.
- UTSA -