Lone Star Conference Indoor Track and Field athletes have recorded three NCAA Division II Automatic qualifying marks (2 men, one women) and 29 provisional efforts (15 men, 14 women). See the LSC performance list here:
https://www.tfrrs.org/lists/2814.html
The 2020 LSC Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held at the Texas Tech Sports Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas on February 21-22.
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Nicodemus Rotich, Texas A&M-Commerce, FR, Kinesiology and Sports Studies, Eldoret, Kenya, Tambach Boys HS
In his first appearance as a collegian, Rotich won the men's mile run at the Texas Tech Corky Classic with an altitude-adjusted time of 4:11.97. This is the fastest time in the event in the LSC this season by nearly three seconds and is less than a second short of a provisional qualifying time.
MEN’S FIELD
Trivett Jones, Angelo State, SR, Health Science Professions, Sachse, Texas, Garland HS
Jones won the A section of pole vault with a height of 16-4 (4.98m), that included competitors from DI powers, Texas Tech and LSU. His mark is currently ranked ninth in the nation.
WOMEN’S TRACK
Minna Svaerd, Texas A&M-Commerce, JR, Sports & Recreation Management, Karlstad, Sweden
Svaerd set the top time in the LSC and sixth-quickest time in the nation in the women's 400-meter dash with an altitude-adjusted time of 55.54 seconds at Texas Tech's Corky Classic, picking up the event win and a provisional qualifying mark. She also matched the LSC's top mark and a provisional qualifying mark in the pole vault at 12-0.75 (3.68 m), which ranks 19th nationally.
WOMEN’S FIELD
Fatim Affessi, West Texas A&M, SR, Psychology, Geneva, Switzerland, University of Geneva
Affessi got her senior season off to a flying start as she broke the school and Lone Star Conference record in the long jump at the Texas Tech Corky Classic. She may have finished third in the competition but her mark of 20-10.75 (6.37m) on her first attempt broke her own school and conference mark while recording the sixth-best long jump in NCAA Division II history. She is now one of three student-athletes to have jumped over 6.30 meters multiple times indoors.
WEEKLY AWARDS
Men’s Track
D-9 Arnaud Taki, West Texas A&M
J-21 Nicodemus Rotich, Texas A&M-Commerce
Men’s Field
D-9 Dhanushka Sandaruwan, West Texas A&M
J-21 Trivett Jones, Angelo State
Women’s Track
D-9 Leah Belfield, West Texas A&M
J-21 Minna Svaerd, Texas A&M-Commerce
Women’s Field
D-9 Miriam Zanovello, West Texas A&M
J-21 Fatim Affessi, West Texas A&M
OTHER TOP PERFORMERS
Jahmaal Wilson, West Texas A&M, had an impressive debut for the Buffs on Saturday at the Texas Tech Corky Classic finishing sixth in the 60-meter hurdles. The freshman from Nassua, Bahamas ran 8.15 prelims followed by a freshman record. 8.13 in the final to finish sixth. As of Jan. 20, he ranks first in the conference and 10th in the nation in the event.
Michael Simcho, Tarleton State, broke the program record for the 1000-meter race on day one of the Texas Tech Corky Classic in the 2020 season opener. Simcho placed ninth in the 1000 meters with a time of 2:33.98, surpassing Stefan Campos' 2015 record by 5.73 seconds (2:39.71). One day after breaking the 1000-meter program record, senior Michael Simcho was the top individual performer for the Tarleton men's team on the final day of the Corky Classic. Simcho placed fourth in the 800-meter race with a time of 1:56.90. As a team, Tarleton had 23 top 10 finishers in the track events at the Corky Classic.
Drake Holifield, Oklahoma Christian, in his first collegiate meet, was the top collegiate finisher (second overall) in an 11-man field in the 60-meter hurdles in the Weilert Open, hosted by Central Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. The freshman posted a time of 8.48 seconds, just .01 of a second behind the non-collegiate winner. Holifield also competed in the 400 meters, finishing seventh among 15 runners in 53.49 seconds.
Trayveon Franklin, Texas A&M-Commerce, set two of the LSC's best marks of the season in the horizontal jumps at the Texas Tech Corky Classic. He earned the LSC's top distance and a provisional qualifying mark in the triple jump at 47-9.75 (14.57m), which ranks 15th nationally. He also earned the LSC's sixth-longest long jump of the season at 22-3.75 (6.80m).
Alan Palmer, Tarleton State, hit the NCAA provisional mark and broke the school record in the long jump during the Texas Tech Corky Classic to open up the 2020 track season. Palmer posted a (23-6.25) 7.17m in the men's long jump. The NCAA provisional mark for that event is 7.13m. The sophomore also broke the program record for the long jump, surpassing William Carlton's 2016 record of 22-5.5. Palmer also ran the 4x400 relay, placing 12th with a time of 3:22.13, and the 200m, placing 14th with a time of 22.68. As a team, Tarleton had 15 top 10 finishers in the field events at the Corky Classic.
Jonathan Olsson, Oklahoma Christian, set personal-best marks in both throwing events on Friday in the Arkansas Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. He placed 11th overall (fourth among Division II throwers) in the shot put at 44-10.25 inches (13.67m) and 10th overall (fifth among Division II throwers) in the weight throw at 47-7 (14.50m).
Lawanda Harvey, Oklahoma Christian, was top Division II finisher (ninth overall among 45 women) in the 200 meters in the Arkansas Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., posting a career-best indoor time of 25.19 seconds. She also was second among Division II runners (15th overall among 45 women) in the 60 meters in 7.82 seconds. Harvey won last year's Great American Conference indoor title in the latter event.
Jenna Brazeal, Tarleton State, in her first collegiate track meet, broke the Tarleton record for the 1000-meter race on day one of the Texas Tech Corky Classic. Brazeal placed 14th with a time of 3:08.05 in the event, breaking Audrey Shelton's 2015 school record by 18.26 seconds (3:26.31). On day two of the event, Brazeal was the top individual performer for the Tarleton women's team. Brazeal finished third in the 800-meter race with a time of 2:21.34. She was close to breaking her second school record of the weekend after claiming the 1000-meter time yesterday. Brazeal was less than one second from surpassing Haley Dennard's 2016 800m record (2:20.45). As a team, Tarleton had 23 top 10 finishers in the track events at the Corky Classic.
Minna Svaerd, Texas A&M-Commerce, matched the LSC's top mark and provisional qualifying mark in the pole vault at 12-0 3/4 (3.68 m) at Texas Tech's Corky Classic, which ranks 19th nationally. She also set the top time in the LSC and sixth-quickest time in the nation in the women's 400-meter dash with an altitude-adjusted time of 55.54 seconds, picking up the event win and a provisional qualifying mark.
Faith Roberson, Angelo State, won the B section of pole vault with a height of 12-0.88 (3.68m), a mark which ties the LSC best and is a provisional NCAA qualifying mark. She also ran a leg of the 4x400 meter relay that has fastest time in LSC.
Jasmine McQuirter, Tarleton State, hit the NCAA provisional mark in the long jump at the Texas Tech Corky Classic to open the 2020 season. McQuirter posted a 19-8.25 (6.00m) in the women's long jump. The NCAA provisional mark for that event is 5.67m. McQuirter was the lone Tarleton representative at the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships, where she placed 16th in the long jump (5.78m) and was named third-team all-conference last season.
Morgan Ray, Oklahoma Christian, set an OC indoor record in the triple jump at the Arkansas Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., posting a mark of 35-8.5 (10.88m). She finished second among Division II competitors in the event. It's her second school record, as she set the OC outdoor long jump mark last May. At the Arkansas meet, she also competed in the long jump and was fifth among Division II competitors with a mark of 15-9.75 (4.82m).