Texan Mosaic

by STEVEN GEHEGAN//Sports Editor

The South Plains College track and field teams put on strong performances in the National Junior College Athletic Association Indoor National Championships.

The men’s team placed second with 104.5 points, and the women’s team placed third with 73 points at the two-day meet held in Pittsburg, Kansas.

The men’s team had 17 athletes earn All-American honors, while the women’s team had 13 All-Americans.

In the men’s 60-meter hurdle event, the Texans swept the top three spots, with sophomore Robert Dunning placing first with a time of 7.93, freshman Mason Weh placing second with a time of 8.00, and freshman William Watson placing third with a time of 8.02.

In the mile run, sophomore Omero Rodriguez finished 12^th with a time of 4:21.60, while sophomore Nicholas Rotich finished 13^th with a time of 4:21.88, and freshman Felix Kosgei finished 15^th with a time of 4:22.66.

In the 600-meter run, sophomore Okeen Williams placed first with a time of 1:17.98, while freshman Montel Hood placed fourth with a time of 1:19.25.

In the 3,000-meter run, Kosgei placed third with a time of 8:29.89, while Rodriguez placed seventh with a time of 8:38.13. Sophomore Jose Silva finished 13^th with a time of 9:01.42.

In the 5000-meter run, sophomore Deric Martinez placed seventh with a time of 15:13.44, while Silva finished 12^th with a time of 15:27.47. Sophomore Connor Hughes finished 13^th with a time of 15:33.56.

In the 4×400 relay, Williams, Hood, freshman Jordan Atkinson, and freshman Rayan Holmes placed fifth with a time of 3:14.18.

In the 4×800 relay, Rodriguez, Rotich, Kosgei, and freshman Dekaryea Freeman placed third with a time of 7:47.31.

In the distance medley relay, Kosgei, Hood, Rodriguez and Rotich placed second with a time of 10:10.37.

In the high jump, sophomore Kwaume McGee placed third with a jump of 2.15 meters. Dunning tied for seventh with a jump of 2.05 meters, and freshman Laquan Nairn tied for 13^th with a jump of 2 meters.

In the long jump, Nairn placed first with a jump of 7.61 meters, while sophomore Derrick Monroe placed third with a jump of 7.46 meters. Sophomore Saahir Bethea placed sixth with a jump of 7.35 meters.

In the triple jump, Nairn placed second with a jump of 15.65 meters, while Bethea placed eighth with a jump of 14.64 meters. Monroe finished 16^th with a jump of 13.47 meters.

In the Heptathlon, freshman Patrick Johnson placed seventh with 4,612 points, while sophomore Zach Hancock finished 11^th with 4,490 points. Freshman Jonathan Witt finished 12^th with 4,273 points.    

In women’s competition, freshman Natassha McDonald placed fourth in the 400-meter run with a time of 54.73, while sophomore Mauricia Prieto placed ninth with a time of 57.17.

In the 600-meter run, freshman Agnes Abrocquah placed fifth with a time of 1:32.85, while sophomore Latriceia Smith finished ninth with a time of 2:01.75.

In the 800-meter run, freshman Hellen Maasotuo placed fourth with a time of 2:15.86.

Maasotuo also placed third in the 1000-meter run with a time of 2:58.81, while sophomore Poro Gahekave placed sixth with a time of 3:00.92. Freshman Seselia Dala placed ninth with a time of 3:10.57.

In the 3000-meter run, freshman Leslie Romero finished 11^th with a time of 10:42.91. She  also placed fourth in the 5000-meter run with a time of 18:10.97.

In the mile run, Dala placed third with a time of 5:09.74, while Gahekave placed seventh with a time of 5:14.34. Romero finished 19^th with a time of 5:27.80.

In the 4×400-meter relay, the team of McDonald, Prieto, Abrocquah and freshman Safia Bright placed second with a time of 3:40.33.

In the 4×800-meter relay, the team of Smith, Gahekave, Dala and, Maasotuo placed first with a time of 9:19.26.

In the distance medley relay, a team of Gahekave, Smith, McDonald and Dala placed third with a time of 12:08.72.

In the long jump, freshman Cha’Kayli Gilbert placed fourth with a jump of 5.76 meters, while sophomore Felicia Frimpong placed eighth with a jump of 5.65 meters. Sophomore Melody Korie finished 10^th with a jump of 5.52 meters.

In the triple jump, Frimpong placed fifth with a jump of 12.47 meters, while Gilbert placed eighth with a jump of 11.95 meters and Korie finished 13^th with a jump of 11.01 meters.

In the shot put, sophomore Kiona Bradshaw placed seventh with a throw of 13.96 meters.

[Photo by TOVI OYERVIDEZ/PLAINSMAN PRESS]