USATF Junior Championships offer next challenge for Aggie crew

BLOOMINGTON – Texas A&M will have four track and field athletes competing in the USATF Junior Championships this weekend at Hayes Track on the Indiana University campus.
 
The top two finishers in each event, who have met the qualifying standards, are eligible to be selected for the United States team that will compete in the IAAF World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland, from July 10-15.
 
Leading the Aggie crew is Sammy Watson, who became just the third freshman to ever win a NCAA Outdoor 800m title last weekend in Eugene. Watson, who finished third at the NCAA Indoor meet, also swept the SEC 800m titles this season.
 
Also competing in the Junior Championships for Texas A&M are Rachel Bernardo (3,000m Steeplechase), Julia Madubuike (400m) and Gabe Oladipo (shot put, discus).
 
Watson, who has a career best of 2:00.65 from 2017, has run a season best of 2:02.20 in 2018, which ranks No. 2 on the Aggie all-time list, and she has produced three other times – 2:02.49, 2:02.65, and 2:03.37 – which rank No. 4-5-7-9 among Texas A&M's top 10 performances.
 
In international competition, the 18-year-old Watson has already claimed a pair of world titles. First, she won the World Youth (U18) 800m in 2015. Then in 2016, Watson won the World Junior (U20) title at 800m and was also part of the United States gold medal 4x400 relay.
 
Bernardo's season best time of 10:46.62 in the 3,000m steeplechase ranks her No. 4 on the Aggie all-time list. She set that time finishing 10^th in the SEC Championships.
 
Racing in the steeplechase four times this season, Bernardo improved each meet she contested. Opening with an 11:22.53 victory at Houston, she clocked 11:10.97 for second place at UCLA. Then a 10:48.76 victory followed at LSU prior to the conference meet.
 
Madubuike posted a best of 52.58 during the NCAA West preliminary rounds, moving to No. 9 on the A&M all-time list. Madubuike also ran on the Aggie 4x100 and 4x400 relays. As the anchor leg of the 4x100 relay, Madubuike earned first-team All-America honors when Texas A&M finished seventh in the NCAA final.
 
Oladipo led Texas A&M in the shot put (57-2 ¾ | 17.44) and discus (186-6 | 56.84) this season. The discus mark ranks No. 12 on the A&M all-time list. Oladipo produced his shot put mark placing 13^th in the SEC Championships while his best discus throw this season was set as runner-up in Baylor's Michael Johnson Invitational.
 
USATF Junior Championships – Bloomington, Indiana
Texas A&M schedule (times listed are ET)
 
Friday, June 15
4:55 p.m.                   800m    Women      First Round     Sammy Watson
7:20 p.m.      Steeplechase    Women                FINAL     Rachel Bernardo
 
Saturday, June 16
1:15 p.m.              Shot Put    Men                       FINAL     Gabe Oladipo
5:10 p.m.                   400m    Women      First Round     Julia Madubuike
6:20 p.m.                   800m    Women                FINAL     (Sammy Watson)
 
Sunday, June 17
2:30 p.m.                  Discus    Men                       FINAL     Gabe Oladipo
3:15 p.m.                   400m    Women                FINAL     (Julia Madubuike)