Lone Star Conference Indoor Track and Field athletes have recorded seven NCAA Division II Automatic qualifying marks (5 men, two women) and 49 provisional efforts (31 men, 18 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. For more information visit:
https://lonestarconference.org/tournaments/?id=26.
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Benjamin Azamati, West Texas A&M, FR, Sports and exercise science, Akim Oda, Ghana, Presec-Legon HS
Azamata had quite the debut for the Buffs as he broke the school record in the 60-meter dash at the New Mexico Open. The freshman ran 6.69 in the prelims of the 60m dash to break Todd Handley's school record set back in 2017 and punch his ticket to indoor nationals with an automatic qualifying mark. That is the fastest time in the LSC since ENMU’s Marcus Parker ran 6.67 at the LSC Championships 2018. He also finished 19th in the 200-meters running 21.91 in his first race on a banked track.
MEN’S FIELD
Decio Andrade, Angelo State, SO, International Business, Camacha, Portugal, Escola Seaindaria de Francisco Franco
Andrade was the top collegiate finisher in the weight throw at the Pittsburg State Invitational with an NCAA Division II automatic qualifying mark of 69-2.5 (21.09m). That mark is a new school and Lone Star Conference record and ranks fourth in DII this season.
WOMEN’S TRACK
Faith Roberson, Angelo State, JR, Management, Wall, Texas, Wall HS
Roberson ran the second-best time in the 60m hurdles in the LSC this season with 8.86 in the prelims at the Pittsburg State Invitational before finishing seventh in the event. Roberson’s mark is the 25th best in DII this season. She also ran on the 4x400 team that finished first with a time of 3:51.83 which is the top relay time in the conference this season, and the 19th best in DII.
WOMEN’S FIELD
Zada Swoopes, West Texas A&M, JR, Sports and exercise science, Whitewright, Texas, Whitewright HS
Swoopes broke the school and Lone Star Conference record in the shot put this past weekend at the New Mexico Team Open. The junior now leads the nation in the event after becoming the first thrower in conference history to throw over 16 meters indoors with her toss of 52-6 (16.00m) on her sixth attempt to finish third behind the defending NCAA DI champion. Swoopes is the first thrower to hit the NCAA Division II automatic qualifying mark in the shot put this season. She also finished third in the weight throw with the seventh-best mark in program history, 53-7 (16.33m).
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
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
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
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
OTHER TOP PERFORMERS
Anterius Brown, Tarleton, had an impressive weekend at the Pittsburg State Invitational, where he hit two NCAA provisional marks. The senior hit NCAA provisional marks in the 400m and with the 4x400 relay team. Brown posted a 48.01 to finish fifth in the men's 400m. The NCAA provisional mark for that event is 48.51. Brown also surpassed the provisional mark for the 4x400, where the relay team placed fifth with a time of 3:15.93. The NCAA provisional mark for the 4x400 relay is 3:16.77. Brown's performance in the 400m was the top individual result for the Tarleton men's team.
Ivar Moinat, Eastern New Mexico, took first place in the 600-meter last weekend at the University of New Mexico Team Open. Moinat crossed the finish line with a time of 1:20.31, a personal best for the senior. Moinat knocked off .16 second from his previous time set at the MLK Indoor Invitational.
Mallory Shehan, West Texas A&M, ran a personal best time of 18:25.15 in the 5,000-meters at the Pittsburg State Invitational on Saturday. That was also the ninth-fastest time in school history and fastest for a Lady Buff since 2014.
Summer Grubbs, UT Tyler, broke a pair of her own school records at the Pittsburg State Invitational, knocking 17-hundredths of a second off her previous best in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.05. She also broke her school record in the 400 meters, posting a time of 59.97 to beat her previous best by 83-hundredths of a second. She also added a personal-best in the 60-meter dash, posting a time of 7.89, which took 19-hundredths of a second off her PR in the indoor sprint, where she currently ranks third on the program's all-time indoor performance list.
Lawanda Harvey, Oklahoma Christian, shattered OC's indoor 200-meter school record with a time of 24.97 seconds in the Pittsburg State Invitational, finishing 11th individually among 50 competitors. The previous school mark of 25.10 had stood for 22 years. It was her fifth career school record. Harvey also finished 13th among 119 runners in the 60 meters in 7.76 seconds, after running 7.75 seconds to finish fourth in the qualifying round.
Mercy Rotich, Eastern New Mexico, still holds the number one spot in the Lone Star Conference, and broke her personal best, after a mile time of 5:00.09 at the University of New Mexico Open. The senior from Kenya took tenth place out of 36 runners and was the only LSC athlete to place in the top ten. Rotich continues to knock off seconds of her time starting the indoor season with a 5:13.06 mile at the Corky Classic, and a 5:12.29 mile at the MLK Indoor Invitational. The Greyhound senior is also running 8.29 seconds faster than her closest LSC competitor.
Kylee Ponder, Tarleton, broke a program record at the Pittsburg State Invitational this weekend. The junior broke the program record in the 400m dash, placing fifth with a time 57.15. The previous school record, set in 2016, was 57.56. Ponder also placed second with the women's 4x400 team with a time of 3:54.0. It was one of the top female performances for the Texans. In total, the Texans recorded 12 top-10 finishes during the meet.
Jonathan Olsson, Oklahoma Christian, shattered his previous best mark in the shot put by almost a foot and a half, throwing 46 feet, 4 inches (14.12 meters) at the Pittsburg State Invitational.
Ray Dixon, West Texas A&M, finished second in the weight throw at the New Mexico Open where he broke his own school record for the second time in three weeks. The sophomore was the top DII finisher in the event with a personal best throw of 56-7.5 (17.26m) on his second attempt of the competition. That is the second-best mark in the LSC this season. He also finished 12th in the shot put with a throw of 46-8 (14.22m).
Alan Palmer, Tarleton, had an impressive weekend at the Pittsburg State Invitational. The sophomore placed tenth in the high jump with a measurement of 6-2 (1.88m). Palmer also competed in the long jump, where he measured a 22-5 (6.83m) to place 12th. In addition to his field performances, Palmer, along with his relay teammates, hit the NCAA provisional mark in the 4x400m relay. The men placed fifth with a time of 3:15.93. The NCAA provisional mark for the 4x400 relay is 3:16.77.
Trenadey Scott, Angelo State, won the triple jump at the Pittsburg State Invitational with a provisional qualifying jump of 40-5 (12.32m). Her jump is the top mark in the Lone Star Conference and the second-best mark in Division II this season.
Tamia Smith, Eastern New Mexico, broke a Greyhound school record after her performance in the shot put at the University of New Mexico Team Open. Smith recorded a throw of 40'10.5 (12.46m) which places her second in school history and seventh in the Lone Star Conference.
Jasmine McQuirter, Tarleton, was the top female performer for Tarleton State on Saturday at the Pittsburg State Invitational. The senior placed second in the long jump with a 18-6 (5.64m). In addition to the long jump, McQuirter ran a 26.41 in the women's 200m.