Lone Star Conference Outdoor Track and Field athletes have recorded 18 NCAA Division II Automatic qualifying marks (12 men, 6 women) and 116 provisional efforts (66 men, 50 women). See the LSC performance list here:
https://www.tfrrs.org/lists/3340.html.
The 2021 LSC Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held at West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas on May 6-7-8.
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
4x100-meter relay (Tyrin Lewis, Benjamin Azamati, Jahmaal Lewis, Desmond Aryee), West Texas A&M
Tyrin Lewis, Benjamin Azamati, Jahmaal Wilson and Desmond Aryee broke the school record in the 4x100-meter relay on Saturday at the Masked Rider Open in Lubbock. The quartet finished third running under 40 seconds for the first time in program history, 39.98 (40.10a). With altitude conversion, that is still the second-fastest time in the nation this season.
MEN’S FIELD
Cade Halliburton, West Texas A&M, SR, Criminal Justice, Goodwell, Okla., Goodwell HS
Halliburton broke his own school record in the hammer throw on Saturday afternoon at the Masked Rider Open. The senior has now broken the record in three of the four events that he has competed in this year with a toss of 191-4 (58.31m) in Lubbock. That is the third best mark in the Lone Star Conference and 21st in the nation.
WOMEN’S TRACK
Florance Uwajeneza, West Texas A&M, JR, Nursing, St. Paul, Minn., Como Park Senior
Uwajeneza now ranks first in the nation in the 10,000-meters following her record breaking performance at the Flames Invitational in Cleveland, Tenn. The St. Paul, Minn. broke Emma Love’s school record by over two minutes as she covered the 25 laps in 34:24.70. That is also the fastest time in the Lone Star Conference in the past decade.
WOMEN’S FIELD
Zada Swoopes, West Texas A&M, SR, Sports and exercise science, Whitewright, Texas, Whitewright
Swoopes is now the second-best performer in the women’s shot put at the NCAA Division II level after her performance at the Masked Rider Open on Saturday. She broke her own school and Lone Star Conference record for a fourth straight week with the sixth-best mark in NCAA DI history, 57-3 (17.45m). That was also the best throw since 2003 and makes her the second student-athlete to throw over 57 feet in the event outdoors. She also broke her own school record in the discus with a throw of 184-1 (56.10m), the second-best mark in the nation this season.
WEEKLY AWARDS
Men’s Track
M-17 James Majenge, Cameron
M-24 Ezekiel Kipchirchir, West Texas A&M
M-31 Benjamin Azamati, West Texas A&M
A-7 Benjamin Azamati, West Texas A&M (2)
A-14 4x100-Meter Relay (Tyrin Lewis, Benjamin Azamati, Jahmaal Lewis, Desmond Aryee), West Texas A&M
Men’s Field
M-17 No nominees
M-24 Decio Andrade, Angelo State
M-31 Deoux Deysel, Angelo State
Ushan Perera, Texas A&M-Commerce
Dhanushka Sandaruwan, West Texas A&M
A-7 Josh Boateng, Texas A&M-Commerce
Trpimir Siroki, Angelo State
A-14 Cade Halliburton, West Texas A&M
Women’s Track
M-17 Summer Grubbs, UT Tyler
M-24 DeOndra Green, West Texas A&M
M-31 Minna Svaerd, Texas A&M-Commerce
A-7 DeOndra Green, West Texas A&M (2)
A-14 Florance Uwajeneza, West Texas A&M
Women’s Field
M-17 Mya Tovar, UT Tyler
M-24 Zada Swoopes, West Texas A&M
M-31 Zada Swoopes, West Texas A&M (2)
A-7 Taylor Nelloms, West Texas A&M
A-14 Zada Swoopes, West Texas A&M (3)
SELECTED NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Nicodemus Rotich, Texas A&M-Commerce, was the champion of the 5,000-meter run at the East Texas Invitational with a personal best time of 14:14.80, which is a provisional qualifying mark and ranks second in the LSC this year and in the top 20 in the nation.
Tristan Meadors, UT Tyler, knocked 21-hundredths of a second off his own 110 meter hurdles record with his time of 14.63 seconds at the East Texas Invitational hosted by Texas A&M-Commerce on April 10.
Eric Rodriguez, St. Edward's, snagged an eighth place finish in the men's 1500 at the UIW Invitational, finishing in a time of 3:58.20, just six seconds off the winning time and was the highest Division II finisher.
Ty McDaniel, UT Tyler, broke his previous personal-best in the hammer by over 15 feet when he recorded a toss of 168-6 (51.35m) at the East Texas Invitational hosted by Texas A&M-Commerce on April 10, to climb into fourth on the school's all-time list. McDaniel recorded two throws over 51 meters in the competition.
Jonathan Olsson, Oklahoma Christian, broke Oklahoma Christian’s record in the javelin with a throw in the Wichita State Open in Wichita, Kan. Olsson’s throw of 178 feet, 5 inches (54.38 meters) broke the former mark (set in 2006 by Cole Ford) by one inch. Olsson also posted a career-best throw in the hammer of 154 feet, 4 inches (44.30 meters) and his top shot put mark of 47 feet, ¼ inch (14.33 meters) was less than three inches off his personal best in that event. He finished ninth in both the javelin and shot put.
Minna Svaerd, Texas A&M-Commerce, was the champion of the East Texas Invitational in the 400 meter hurdles at 59.35, which is the fastest time in the LSC this season by nearly four seconds and second-fastest time in the nation. She then anchored the winning 4x400 meter relay team at 3:53.65. She also won the women's pole vault at 3.60 meters (11' 9 3/4"), which is the LSC's top mark this year by 30 centimeters.
MyKaela Alfred, UT Tyler, ran a personal-best 14.79 seconds in the 100 meter hurdles at the East Texas Invitational hosted by Texas A&M-Commerce on April 10 to claim second on UT Tyler's all-time list (second only to her All-LSC teammate Summer Grubbs). Alfred was also just seven-hundredths of a second away from a personal-best in the 200 meters, posting a time of 27.00 seconds.
Kenya Bailey, Oklahoma Christian, broke a 28-year-old Oklahoma Christian record in the 10,000 meters in the Wichita State Open in Wichita, Kan. In her first collegiate race at that distance, she posted a time of 37:20.01, smashing the former record of 38:23.24 set in 1993 by OC Athletic Hall of Famer Peggy (Murphy) Skiba.
Ellie Hovre, St. Edward's, took sixth place in the 1500 meter run at the UIW Invitational as the highest Division II finisher in the event, finishing in a time of 4:49.60.