Lone Star Conference Indoor Track and Field athletes have recorded seven NCAA Division II Automatic qualifying marks (4 men, 3 women) and 41 provisional efforts (31 men, 10 women). See the LSC performance list here:
https://www.tfrrs.org/lists/3209.html.
The 2021 LSC Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held at the Texas Tech Sports Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas on February 20-21.
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Benjamin Azamati, West Texas A&M, SO, Animal Science, Akim Oda, Ghana
Azamati had another historic performance this past weekend at the Washburn Open where he broke his own school and conference record in the 60-meter dash. The sophomore ran 6.59 to finish first and become just the second DII runner to go under 6.60 since 2004. He currently ranks first in the nation in the event by 0.14 over Ashland’s Trevor Bassitt.
MEN’S FIELD
Trpimir Siroki, Angelo State, SO, Electrical Engineering, Zagreb, Croatia, Prva Tehnicka Skola Tesla
Siroki had a strong weekend at the Texas Tech Invitational meet competing against the other members of the Big 12 Conference, scoring 5,602 points for Angelo State and taking second place in the heptathlon, receiving an automatic mark for the Division II National meet. He placed second in the long jump, jumping a distance of 7.28m, hitting one of two provisional marks. Siroki also placed first in the high jump, jumping a height of 2.06m, hitting another provisional mark. Siroki currently leads the nation in the heptathlon for Division II.
WOMEN’S TRACK
Florance Uwajeneza, West Texas A&M, JR, Nursing, St. Paul, Minn., Como Park Senior
Uwajeneza broke the program record in the 3,000-meters on Saturday afternoon at the Washburn Open. The junior crossed the finish line in 9:41.44 to break Haley Sparks record that had stood since 2014 by more than 25 seconds . That is the sixth-fastest time in the nation this season.
WOMEN’S FIELD
Zada Swoopes, West Texas A&M, SR, Sports and Exercise Science, Whitewright, Texas, Whitewright
Swoopes now leads the nation in the women’s shot put following her dominant performance at the Washburn Open. The senior won the event by close to eight feet with the second-best mark in program history, 52-3.25 (15.93m). She also finished second in the weight throw with the top mark in the LSC this season, 55-10.25 (17.02m).
WEEKLY AWARDS
Men’s Track
J-21 Benjamin Azamati, West Texas A&M
J-27 Antonio Chavez, UT Tyler
F-3 Benjamin Azamati, West Texas A&M (2)
Men’s Field
J-21 Ushan Perera, Texas A&M-Commerce
J-27 Alex Rodriguez, UT Tyler
F-3 Trpimir Siroki, Angelo State
Women’s Track
J-21 Florance Uwajeneza, West Texas A&M
J-27 Summer Grubbs, UT Tyler
F-3 Florance Uwajeneza, West Texas A&M (2)
Women’s Field
J-21 Flore Gracia, West Texas A&M
J-27 Audrey O'Connor, UT Tyler
F-3 Zada Swoopes, West Texas A&M
SELECTED NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Diego Pettorossi, Angelo State, finished second in the Washburn Open Meet in the 200m dash, finishing with a time of 21.36, earning a provisional mark for the NCAA Division II National Championship meet. Pettorossi is currently ranked second in the nation in the 200. He also finished fifth in the 60m dash, finishing with a time of 6.89.
Keitron Boyd, Lubbock Christian, had a great weekend at the Washburn Open in Topeka, Kans. He placed third in the 200-meter with a time of 21.48. The mark provisionally qualified him for the NCAA Indoor National Championships and is currently the fifth-best time in the nation. Boyd also ran the 400-meter, setting a new school record with a time of 48.91, breaking the previous LCU record of 49.11, which was set by Lloyd Benson in 1984. His 400m time is the 15th fastest in Division II so far this year.
Corey Perryman, UT Tyler, tied his own school record in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.39 seconds, tying the record he established at last year's LSC Indoor Championships.
Dylan Burrows, Oklahoma Christian, ran two strong 800-meter races during the Washburn Open in Topeka, Kan., on Friday and Saturday. On the meet's opening night, he ran the 800-meter leg on OC's distance medley relay team, clocking a 1:55.86 split as the Eagles eventually finished third in a strong 11-team field in 10:13.08. On Saturday, he recorded OC's highest individual finish in any event during the meet, placing second among 32 runners in the open 800 with a career-best time of 1:55.28.
Peniel Richard, West Texas A&M, is the new national leader in the men’s triple jump following his first-place finish at the Washburn Open this past weekend. His mark of 50-2.75 (15.31m) is the fifth-best mark in program history makes him one of three jumpers over 50 feet this season. He also finished second in the long jump with a seasonal best mark of 23-5.5 (7.15m).
Dean Wallace, Texas A&M-Kingsville, posted his second provisional mark in the heptathlon in as many meets with 4865 points at the Washburn Open on the weekend to finish second. His run started with 806 points in the 60m dash at 7.22 seconds, followed by 702 in the long jump at 21-4.75 (6.25m). He added another 825 points in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.65 and eclipsed the 700-point mark once again in the pole vault with a height of 14-5.25 (4.40m). Wallace is currently third in the LSC and seventh in the nation on the NCAA Descending Order list, behind only his teammate Johnathon Harper and Angelo State's Trpimir Siroki.
Summer Grubbs, UT Tyler, broke two school records at the Washburn Open as she competed in the pentathlon plus 3 individual events. She broke her own school record in the pentathlon with a score of 3,289 points, and she also broke the school record in the 200 meters with a time of 24.93. She collected a third-place finish in the 60 meter hurdles (8.99) and actually ran it faster in the pentathlon (8.94) while finishing 9th in the 60m dash with the second-fastest time in program history (7.76).
Kenya Bailey, Oklahoma Christian, an All-LSC indoor track and cross country honoree in 2020, took third place in the 5,000 meters in the Washburn Open at the Washburn Indoor Facility, the Eagles' first meet of the indoor track and field season. The junior ran a career-best 5K time of 18:00.00, missing second place in the 20-woman field by just .06 of a second.
Destiny Parker, UT Tyler, a week after establishing the school record in the triple jump, Parker extended it with a mark of 10.31m (33-10.00) at the Washburn Open.
Kimberly Ortolon, Texas A&M-Kingsville, posted her first provisional qualifying mark of the season in the pole vault with a height of 12-6.75 (3.83m) to finish second in the event. She cleared the mark on her second try to finish second in the event, and her performance puts her 12th on the NCAA Descending Order List in the pole vault.