COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The UTSA men’s and women’s track and field teams produced four big medalists at E.B. Cushing Stadium, while closing the outdoor regular season on Saturday at Texas A&M’s Alumni Muster. Senior Rachela pace took the triple jump event win, as did sophomore Nyaluet Diew in the shot put, while rookies Selma Ims and Charlie Staddon each produced medal-worthy hurdles performances.
Recording a new UTSA-long measurement for the senior transfer, Pace (Dingli, Malta) extended her season-best by .24m to reach 13.29m (43-7.25) on her second attempt. Earning the gold medal, Pace also raised the profile on her existing No. 2 entry into the all-time UTSA performances chart, as well as her standing lead over American Athletic Conference marks. Her jump on Saturday would move into a tie for the 11th-best jump in the nation in the latest standings. Also in the triple, Oreoluwa Adamson recorded a season-best 12.59m (41-3.75) measurement to finish in sixth.
In the best throws performance of the day, sophomore transfer Diew (South Sioux City, Nebraska) heaved a 15.62m (51-3) measurement in the women’s shot put to earn the event victory, her second of the season. Later in the meet, Diew was also 10th in the women’s discus at 45.26m (148-6).
Earlier in the afternoon, it was freshman Staddon (Bath, England) who put the next Roadrunner medal on the board, registering a 13.81-second clocking in the 110m high hurdles for third place overall, coming in as the second-fastest collegiate performer. Also going top 10 in the event, Zane Hodges was ninth in a time of 14.37.
Seven events down the line, Ims (Sandnes, Norway) went 58.65 while battling heavy wind in the 400m hurdles, finishing as the top collegiate performer but third overall. Sixth among collegiate runners and 10th overall, Kyla Hill came in at 1:03.76. Hill was also ninth in the 100m hurdles earlier in the meet at 14.05 seconds.
The Roadrunners also registered several performances right on the fringe of the medal stand. Freshman Brina Likar used the second of her finals passes to move up to fourth in the women’s long jump at 6.30m (20-8), tying Mia Lien for the fifth-best historic UTSA performance and second in the American Athletic Conference marks this season. Also in the event, Dahlia Barnes jumped a season-long 5.82m (19-1.25) for ninth. Coming just .04 seconds shy of her existing best, sophomore Ida Breigan earned fourth place in the 200m on a 23.43 clocking. Topping the distance rolls, junior O.J. Ruiz ran 9:34.83 in the 3,000m steeplechase for fifth, ahead of Diego Ramirez in eighth (10:01.98). In the men's 800m, Cortlin Salge (1:53.83) and Victor Charo (1:53.84) went back-to-back at eighth and ninth. Pacing the men’s throwers on Saturday, grad transfer Garrett Stokes came in fifth in the men’s hammer throw with a 59.45m (195-0) toss that opened the day’s events. Meanwhile, throughout the day, Paul Bouey was seventh in the men’s shot put at 16.14m (52-11.5) and Waylon McKenzie was also 10th in the mens’ disc at 47.16m (154-9).
The next time the Roadrunners head out of San Antonio they will be in the hunt for conference championships, heading to Charlotte, North Carolina and Irwin Belk track for the American Athletic Conference Championships, May 15-17.
- UTSA -