LSC INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2020 Lone Star Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held at the Texas Tech Sports Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas on February 21-22.
The meet begins at 8:30 a.m. Friday and continues at 11 a.m. Saturday with 11 men’s teams and 12 women’s squads competing.
Results and complete meet information may be found at
https://lonestarconference.org/tournaments/?id=26.
The league has one men’s and one women’s team in the top 25 of the latest national rating index conducted by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The men’s rankings include No. 8 Angelo State, while the women are represented by No. 8 West Texas A&M.
WT is the defending men’s champion and has won the last six titles on the women’s side.
The NCAA Division II Championships are March 13-14 in Birmingham, Alabama.
LSC INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
Lone Star Conference Indoor Track and Field athletes have recorded nine NCAA Division II Automatic qualifying marks (six men, three women) and 70 provisional efforts (41 men, 29 women). See the LSC performance list here:
https://www.tfrrs.org/lists/2814.html
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Dorian Andrews, Texas A&M-Commerce, JR, General Studies, Dallas, Texas, Skyline HS
Andrews was the top Division II finisher in the men's 60-meter hurdles at the Indoor Gorilla Classic with the third-best time in the nation at 7.89 seconds, automatically qualifying for nationals and re-setting his own school record.
MEN’S FIELD
Josh Boateng, Texas A&M-Commerce, SR, Learning & Technology, St. George's, Grenada, Central Arizona College
Boateng extended his LSC-best mark in the men's shot put at 56-11.25 (17.35m) at the Indoor Gorilla Classic, moving into 13th in the nation in the event.
WOMEN’S TRACK
Kiara Brown, Texas A&M-Commerce, FR, Business Administration, Dallas, Texas, Carter HS
Brown provisionally qualified for the national meet in the women's 200-meter dash at the Indoor Gorilla Classic at 24.51 seconds, which is the LSC's top time and one one-hundredth of a second back of a school record. This time ranks 12th nationally. She also clocked the LSC's third-fastest time in the 60-meter dash at 7.70 seconds.
WOMEN’S FIELD
Jasmine McQuirter, Tarleton State, SR, Kinesiology, Teague, Texas, Teague HS
McQuirter hit an NCAA provisional mark in the long jump for the second time this season at the Howie Ryan Invitational. McQuirter placed third in the event with a mark of 19-4.25 (5.9m). The senior currently ranks No. 5 in the long jump on the NCAA Division II Indoor Qualifying List. McQuirter hit the provisional mark the first time during the first event of the season.
WEEKLY AWARDS
Men’s Track
D-9 Arnaud Taki, West Texas A&M
J-21 Nicodemus Rotich, Texas A&M-Commerce
J-28 Jahmaal Wilson, West Texas A&M
F-5 Benjamin Azamati, West Texas A&M
F-12 Desmond Aryee, West Texas A&M
F-19 Dorian Andrews, Texas A&M-Commerce
Men’s Field
D-9 Dhanushka Sandaruwan, West Texas A&M
J-21 Trivett Jones, Angelo State
J-28 Tyler Pickens, West Texas A&M
F-5 Decio Andrade, Angelo State
F-12 Johnathon Harper, Texas A&M-Kingsville
F-19 Josh Boateng, Texas A&M-Commerce
Women’s Track
D-9 Leah Belfield, West Texas A&M
J-21 Minna Svaerd, Texas A&M-Commerce
J-28 Leah Belfield, West Texas A&M (2)
F-5 Faith Roberson, Angelo State
F-12 Leah Belfield, West Texas A&M (3)
F-19 Kiara Brown, Texas A&M-Commerce
Women’s Field
D-9 Miriam Zanovello, West Texas A&M
J-21 Fatim Affessi, West Texas A&M
J-28 Taylor Nelloms, West Texas A&M
F-5 Zada Swoopes, West Texas A&M
F-12 Fatim Affessi, West Texas A&M (2)
F-19 Jasmine McQuirter, Tarleton State
OTHER TOP PERFORMERS
Cornelius Coleman, Tarleton State, was the top performer of the Tarleton men's team at the Howie Ryan Invitational last weekend. The junior placed second in the 60m hurdles with times of 8.25 (semi) and 8.29 (prelim). Coleman finished third in the finals with a time of 8.25. The Texans recorded 10 top-10 placements during the meet.
Arnaud Taki, West Texas A&M, came agonizing close to break Alexander Korn's 800-meter school record on Friday night at the Texas Tech Shootout. The senior ran 1:50.56a (1:50.87) to finish fourth missing the school record by .07. That is the third-fastest time in the conference and 10th in the nation heading into this weekend Lone Star Conference Championships.
Corey Perryman, UT Tyler, knocked two-hundredths of a second off his 60-meter hurdles school-record, running 8.42 in the preliminary qualifying heats at the Howie Ryan Invitational... He now ranks 8th in the LSC in the event.
Ivar Moinat, Eastern New Mexico, moved up to first place in the LSC after his 800-meter time of 1:50.08 (1:50.39 converted for altitude) recorded this past weekend at the Texas Tech Shootout. Moinat took third in the race, following two Division I Texas Tech runners.
Jaylen Tyron, Lubbock Christian, competed in the 800-meter at the Grand Valley State Big Meet, posting his best time of the season on Friday. He posted a time of 1:50.37, placing fifth in the event. The time provisionally qualified him for the NCAA Division II Championships and is the eighth-fastest time in all of Division II this season.
Kolten Johnson, Oklahoma Christian, was the top collegiate finisher (second overall) in the 5,000 meters in the University of Central Oklahoma Alumni Classic in Norman, Okla., on Saturday. The freshman ran a career-best time of 16:30.27.
Alan Palmer, Tarleton State, was the top Tarleton male finisher in the field events at the Howie Ryan Invitational last weekend. The sophomore placed 12th in the long jump with a measurement of 22-1.75 (6.75). Palmer currently sits at No. 25 in the long jump on the NCAA Div. II Indoor Qualifying List. The sophomore hit the provisional mark during the first event of the season.
Guillaume Devries, West Texas A&M, now leads the Lone Star Conference in the high jump following his sixth-place finish at the Texas Tech Shootout last week. The junior used all three of his attempts before clearing 6-9.75 (2.08m) and move up to 17th in the nation. That is also the fourth-best clearance in school history.
Jonathan Olsson, Oklahoma Christian, posted a pair of top-five finishes in the University of Central Oklahoma Alumni Classic in Norman, Okla., on Saturday. He was third in the weight throw at 46-0 (14.02 meters) and fourth in the shot put at 45-7 (13.89 meters).
Jenna Brazeal, Tarleton State, broke her second program record of the season last weekend at the Howie Ryan Invitational. She surpassed the 800m record with a time of 2:18.4 and placed ninth in the event. The previous record, set in 2016, was 2:20.45. Brazeal broke the program record for the 1000-meter race in the first meet of the season.
Nele Heinrich, West Texas A&M, was the top Division II finisher in the 400-meters at the Texas Tech Shootout this past weekend. The senior ran a seasonal best time of 56.26 (56.15 converted for altitude) to win her heat and finish 22th overall. She now ranks second in the conference and 21st in the nation in the event.
Summer Grubbs, UT Tyler, wrapped up an impressive indoor season, taking three-hundredths of a second off the 400-meter record she set two weeks ago, running a time of 59.94 to establish an improved school-record at the Howie Ryan Invitational... Over the course of this season, Grubbs established new school-records in 4 different events (pentathlon, 60m hurdles, 400m, long jump) this season, and she enters this week's LSC indoor championships ranked in the conference's top-16 of 7 different events, including #2 in pentathlon (3,197 points), #3 in 60m hurdles (9.05), and #8 in long jump (5.56m).
Mercy Rotich, Eastern New Mexico, took first place in the 5000-meter this past weekend at the Texas Tech Shootout. The senior Greyhound crossed the finish line at 17:07.92 (17:21.62 converted) a personal best in her first time running the event for the 2020 indoor season. Rotich is currently placed first in the LSC in the 3000-meter and the mile. Rotich has recorded new personal bests times in the three events in her last three meets.
Jordyn Williams, Oklahoma Christian, placed third in the 60-meter hurdles in 9.45 seconds in the University of Central Oklahoma Alumni Classic in Norman, Okla., on Saturday.
Zada Swoopes, West Texas A&M, broke the school record in the weight throw on Friday night at the Texas Tech Shootout in Lubbock. The junior finished second with a toss of 56-10.75 (17.34m), which is the top mark in the conference and ranks 32nd in the nation. She also finished fourth in the shot put with the ninth-best mark in school history, 49-7.25 (15.12m).