LSC Outdoor Track and Field athletes have recorded 58 NCAA Division II provisional qualifying marks (33 men, 25 women). See the LSC performance list here:
https://www.tfrrs.org/lists/3761.html
LSC OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
MEN’S TRACK
Benjamin Azamati, West Texas A&M, SO, Animal Sciences, Akim Oda, Ghana
Azamati, the USTFCCCA National DII Athlete of the Week, is coming off his record-breaking performance at the 94th Annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays last weekend. Azamati broke his own NCAA Division II, Lone Star Conference and Ghana national record of 9.97 on Friday morning when he matched the fourth-fastest time in all collegiate history in the prelims of the 100-meter dash. The sophomore crossed the line in 9.90 to equal the same time as Baylor's Trayvon Bromell in 2015 as he now has the six fastest 100m marks in DII.
CO-MEN’S FIELD
Elmar Schutte, Texas A&M-Commerce, FR, Education, Pretoria, South Africa
Schutte cleared 17-6.5 (5.35m) in the pole vault at Texas State to finish second overall in the meet but set the new school record in the event and it is also the best mark in the NCAA Division II this season. He was also had the best mark outside of Division I athletes at the event.
Johnathon Harper, Texas A&M-Kingsville, SR, Mechanical Engineering/MBA, Lorena, Texas, Lorena, Texas
It took Harper one outdoor meet to set an NCAA Provisional Qualifying mark in the decathlon as the Lorena, Texas native scored 7,207 at the 94th Annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. He got the bulk of his points in the 110m hurdles, snagging 917 after clocking in at 14.45, a time that sits 18th nationally. He sits atop the Division II performance list, after placing eighth as one of only two DII competitors in the event. Additionally, he bested 13 DI athletes, and six Power Five competitors en route to his eighth-place finish.
WOMEN’S TRACK
Eleonora Curtabbi, West Texas A&M, JR, Environmental Science, Turin, Italy
Curtabbi shattered her previous school record as she picked up a victory in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. The Turin, Italy native crossed the line in 10:16.66 to defeat Kansas' Lona Latema by 10-seconds. Her provisional mark is the fastest time in Division II this season as she broke her record by nearly 26-seconds.
WOMEN’S FIELD
Gertrudis Balli, Texas A&M-Kingsville, SR, Environmental Sciences, Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Brownsville Pace HS
Balli ranks second in the Lone Star Conference after slinging the discus 149-2 (45.46m) at the 94th Annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. She placed 11th in the event amongst nine power five student-athletes, while besting athletes from Grand Valley State and High Point.
WEEKLY AWARDS
Men’s Track
M-23 Bassem Hemeida, West Texas A&M
M-30 Benjamin Azamati, West Texas A&M
Men’s Field
M-23 D.J. Delancy, Texas A&M-Kingsville
M-30 Elmar Schutte, Texas A&M-Commerce
Johnathon Harper, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Women’s Track
M-23 Mijah Collier, UT Tyler
M-30 Eleonora Curtabbi, West Texas A&M
Women’s Field
M-23 Katryna Hernandez, Texas A&M-Kingsville
M-30 Gertrudis Balli, Texas A&M-Kingsville
SELECTED NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Delan Edwin, Texas A&M-Commerce, had three top 10 marks in Division II this weekend at the Texas Relays and Bobcat Invitational going up against several other Division I athletes. He timed 10.42 in the 100-meter dash, which is fourth in the country, he raced in two separate 4x100 relay teams, timing 40.03 seconds at Texas State, which is second in the country, and timed 40.37 seconds at Texas Relays, which is third in the country.
Verrell McBride, Oklahoma Christian, matched his season-best time for 100 meters, finishing in 10.62 seconds on Friday in the Texas Relays at Mike A. Myers Stadium. McBride won his six-man heat race – beating five runners from NCAA Division I schools – and finished 50th in the field of 92 runners. Later Friday, in the Texas State Invitational in San Marcos -- just south of Austin -- McBride finished third in a field of 57 men in the 200 meters with a time of 21.27 seconds, just. 01 of a second off the NCAA Division II provisional qualifying standard.
Ashton Turner, UT Tyler, broke the school record not once, but twice in a two day stretch in the 400-meter hurdles at the Texas Relays and the Bobcat Invitational. Last Thursday, Turner stepped into a big spotlight as he took on the 400-meter hurdle U/C timed final against a host of top Division I and Division II talent and ran a time of 54.77 seconds to finish 21st overall and break the school record by .64 seconds. On Friday, Turner stepped on to the track again, this time at the Bobcat Invitational hosted by Texas State. The freshman came up big yet again, breaking his own school record by an incredible .82 seconds and placing fifth overall (53.95).
Martin Segurola, St. Edward's, won the 1500m at the Bobcat Invitational at Texas State University in a personal best time, and conference leading mark, of 3:51.58.
Cason Brown, Angelo State, competing at the Texas Relays, tossed the discus 179-7 (54.73m) finishing third overall in his section. Brown now ranks second on the Division II performance list in the discus.
Jonathan Olsson, Oklahoma Christian, set a school record in the javelin, finishing second among 10 men in the javelin in the Oklahoma Baptist Invitational with a throw of 180 feet, 7 inches (55.04 meters). That was more than two feet longer than his former school record of 178 feet, 5 inches, set last April in the Wichita State Open. Olsson also finished fourth in the hammer with a throw of 144 feet, 5 inches (44.01 meters) and sixth among 19 men in the shot put with a throw of 45 feet, 3½ inches (13.80 meters).
Naomi Ndukwe, Texas A&M-Commerce, timed 1:01.88 in the 400 hurdles at the Texas Relays this past weekend. Her time is fastest in the Lone Star Conference this season and seventh in Division II overall.
Bryah Davis, Oklahoma Christian, ran a career-best time in the 100 meters on Friday in the Texas Relays. The sophomore from Cedar Hill, Texas, finished second in her heat – beating three NCAA Division I runners – and 23rd overall in a 65-woman field in 11.90 seconds. Later Friday, Davis ran in the 200 meters at the Texas State Invitational in San Marcos -- just south of Austin -- and finished 10th in a field of 86 runners in 24.59 seconds.
Tamara Susa, Texas A&M-Commerce, threw 140-5 (42.79m) in the javelin at the Bobcat Invitational this past weekend, which was second at the meet overall and best among LSC throwers this past week. Her best mark stands second in the conference this season and 16th in the country.
Taelor Brown, Oklahoma Christian, posted top-five finishes in three throwing events to lead Oklahoma Christian in the Oklahoma Baptist Invitational at Hurt Memorial Track. On Saturday, she recorded a career-best throw of 122-8 (37.39m) in the discus to take fifth among 25 women and placed fifth in a field of 26 women in the shot put with a top mark of 37-7.75 (11.47m). Those efforts came after she posted a career-best hammer throw of 142-1 (43.32m) on Friday, good for a third-place finish among 16 women.