April 12, 2008
Texas A&M closed out the UCLA Rafer Johnson / Jackie Joyner-Kersee with a stirring triple jump duel between teammates Julian Reid and Zuheir Sharif which highlighted a Saturday team performance indicative of the high rankings the Aggie squads currently hold.
The No. 1 A&M men and No. 3 Aggie women combined for 20 victories on the weekend at Drake Stadium as they faced a field that included UCLA, whose men are ranked No. 3, South Florida, Utah, Utah State, Cal Poly SLO, Cal State Northridge, Cal State LA, Sacramento State, UC Davis, UNLV and Washington State.
Saturday?™s haul included five outright wins in the Invitational events along with Texas A&M posting the top collegiate finish in eight more events. Friday?™s effort included five victories, particularly in the late evening distance events, and a pair of top collegiate finishes.
High-end results also added the Aggies as college leaders in 2008 for Julian Reid (54-3 ?ľ) in the triple jump, A.C. Robinson (45.97) in the men?™s 400, Jessica Beard (52.04) in the women?™s 400, and Porscha Lucas (22.99) in the women?™s 200.
Performances that have A&M athletes second best in the current collegiate ranks include Chris Dykes (20.64) winning the 200 as well as the men?™s 4 x 100 relay (38.83) clocking a season best as the top collegiate finisher with a crew of Richard Adu-Bobie, Gerald Phiri, Dominique Stafford, and Dykes.
Texas A&M also broke four meet records and had five runner-up performances that bettered the previous meet record. A total of 17 meet records were broken during the two-day meet.
A intriguing battle in the triple jump had Reid (54-3 ?ľ - 16.55) and Sharif (53-10 ?Ľ - 16.41) trading the lead in nearly every round. By the end of the competition they threatened the school record with marks that place the pair at No. 2 and No. 4, respectively, on the Aggie all-time list.
Following the competition both A&M jumpers were offered congratulations from UCLA assistant coach Mike Powell, the world record holder in the long jump.
Reid won the event with a career best leap that was just three inches shy of the Aggie school record held by Kendrick Smith from the 1995 Southwest Conference meet. Reid came into the meet with an outdoor best of 51-11 ?Ľ (15.83) and bettered that mark on four of his six jumps.
Sharif placed second with a personal best of 53-10 ?Ľ (16.41), improving his previous best of 53-3 (16.23) twice during the day. Aggie jumper Tyron Stewart finished fifth with a mark of 50-8 ?ľ (15.46).
Beard topped an international field in claiming the 400 win as her 52.04 bettered Sheena Tosta (52.49), Natasha Danvers (52.89), Deanna Goodwin (53.18) and Ysanne Williams (53.72). Beard?™s outdoor debut in the 400 moved her to the No. 2 performer with the No. 6 performance on the Aggie all-time list.
A.C. Robinson set his collegiate leading standard in the men?™s 400 as a runner-up to Olympian Tyree Washington (45.79). Robinson bettered 46 seconds for the first time in his career with a time of 45.97. He moves to No. 8 on the Aggie all-time list behind a 45.93 run by Ted Nelson in 1965.
Porscha Lucas took over the collegiate lead in the 200 with the first outdoor sub 23-second clocking of the season. Her 22.99 ranks only second in the world to a 22.56 by Sanya Richards. Lucas turned back Monique Henderson (23.26) and Melinda Smedley (23.84) in the race.
On the Aggie all-time list Lucas turned in the No. 10 performance. Khrystal Carter improved to the No. 4 performer on the 200 list with her career best of 23.40. She placed fourth, but was the second-best collegian. Gabby Mayo had a windy 23.58 to win the second section and placed sixth overall as the third-best collegian.
Dykes ran the second fastest collegiate time for 2008 with a 20.64 personal best in the men?™s 200. His is now the No. 9 performer on the A&M all-time list. Dykes defeated a field that included pro sprinters Craig Everhart (20.78), Tyrone Edgar (20.98), and Kelly Willie (20.99).
Another victory for Texas A&M came in the men?™s 4 x 400 with a 3:05.07 clocking from the foursome of Justin Oliver (47.1), A.C. Robinson (45.6), Nick Robinson (46.2) and Bryan Miller (46.2).
The Aggies defeated three professional squads that included HSI (3:07.88), Saudi Arabia (3:08.75) and World Class TC (3:09.58). A second A&M relay crew placed fifth in 3:09.61 with the foursome of Jonathan Collins (48.1), Kyle Dykhuizen (48.2), Cade Liverman (47.1) and Morquise Cleveland (46.2).
Other collegiate best finishes in the meet for A&M included the women?™s 4 x 100 (43.40), Jennifer Williams in both hurdle races (13.49 and a PR 58.53), Dominique Stafford in the men?™s 100 (10.47), Simone Facey in the women?™s 100 (11.32), and the women?™s 4 x 400 (3:33.68).
Facey won her section of the 100 in 11.32 seconds and was second overall to an 11.13 meet record posted by Muna Lee, the former LSU standout who is now a volunteer assistant at Texas A&M.
Allison George set a personal best of 11.44 to place third overall in the 100 as she finished second to Lee in the second section. She is now the No. 3 performer on the Aggie all-time list. Carter was fifth overall with an 11.57 clocking.
Stafford won his section of the 100 with ease and finished behind professional sprinters Mickey Grimes (10.29) and Chris Williams (10.36) when the sections were combined.
In the men?™s 4 x 100 the Aggies were challenged by three All-Star teams, of which a couple of the sprint relays featured former A&M standouts. Texas A&M placed second, but were the top collegiate team, with a season best mark of 38.83.
The winning mark of 38.72 was recorded by a US Olympic Training Center squad, which had Bashir Ramzy running a leg. Behind Texas A&M was HSI (38.88), which led off with former Aggie Tyrone Edgar. World Class Track Club placed fourth in 39.85.
Texas A&M moved to No. 5 on the Aggie all-time 4 x 100 list equaling a mark set in 1988 that won the Southwest Conference meet by the foursome of Lawrence Felton, Derrick Florence, Andre Cason, and Stanley Kerr.
Equally challenged were the Aggie women, running against a stellar team of professionals. Texas A&M ran with the quartet of Elizabeth Adeoti, Lucas, Carter and Mayo while placing second in 43.40. That time was faster the meet record of 44.93 set in 2005 and the stadium record of 43.49 set by UCLA in 1998.
The Aggies faced the World Class Track Club team, which won in 43.02, and included former NCAA 100 hurdle champion Virginia Powell, World Champion 100 hurdler Michelle Perry, Olympic 100 hurdle gold medalist Joanna Hayes and Olympic 200 silver medalist and World Champion Allyson Felix.
A&M held its own through each baton pass and even led the high-powered all-star squad heading into the final exchange. Finishing behind the top two squads was UCLA in third at 45.53, followed by UNLV (45.92) and UC Davis (46.58).
The women?™s 4 x 400 unit of George (55.0), Sandy Wooten (53.1), Beard (52.6), and Katie Baker (53.0) recorded a time of 3:33.68 to finish behind the same World Class TC crew that ran the 4 x 100.
Sparked by a 49.5 anchor from Felix, the all-star team won in 3:29.51. UCLA finished nearly three seconds behind A&M in 3:36.31.
Williams established a career best in the 400 hurdles, running 58.53 to become the No. 3 performer in the event on the A&M all-time list. She was the top collegiate finisher and placed behind the 57.21 run by Ireland?™s Michelle Carey. Third place went to Chelsea Shapard of Utah in 59.68.
Placing third in the 100 hurdles Williams claimed the top collegiate spot, with a time of 13.49. Andrea Bliss won the race in 13.13 while Natasha Danvers placed second in 13.27. Whitney Holmes followed in seventh place at 13.97 while Lindsey Adams finished eighth in 14.13.
Ashika Charan set a career best of 20-6 ?˝ (6.26) in the long jump to place third behind a pair of UCLA jumpers. She is the No. 5 performer on the A&M all-time list.
A time of 51.00 placed Nick Robinson third in the 400 hurdles while Cade Liverman finished sixth in 52.87.
For the second consecutive week Josh Tiemann set a career best in the discus. His mark of 181-5 (55.29) placed fourth overall and was the third-best collegian. Dylan Conway (165-10) and Javier Olivas (161-11) finished seventh and ninth.
Olivas also placed fourth in the shot put with a toss of 56-9 ?˝ (17.31) while Nick Cook turned in a 48-11 (14.91) for fifth place.
Kevin Ondrasek finished fourth in the 800 with a clocking of 1:51.30 while Nick Toohey placed seventh in 1:55.99.
In the men?™s 400 other A&M finishers included Oliver (46.44) in fourth and Miller (47.11) in ninth.
Anteneshia Lindsey finished fifth in the shot put with a mark of 45-4 ?˝ (13.83). She claimed the same position in the discus with a mark of 162-10 (49.63) as the second best collegian in the field.
Following Beard in the 400 for the Aggies were Katie Baker (54.19) in seventh and Sandy Wooten (54.39) in ninth.
In placing seventh in the triple jump Tiffany Peters set a personal best of 40-6 ?Ľ (12.35). Angela Thomas finished eighth with a 39-7 ?ľ (12.08).
Brandon Letsinger tied for eighth in the high jump at 6-8 ?ľ (2.05), the same height that determined second through ninth place. Laura Asimakis tied for ninth in the pole vault, clearing 12-2 (3.71).