Aggie Women Finish Second, 4x400m Sets Meet Record

Thursday, March 11

Fayetteville, Ark.

Texas A&M

NCAA Indoor Championships

Jania Martin, Tierra Robinson-Jones, Charokee Young, Athing Mu

Photo by: Errol Anderson

Mar 14, 2021 | Track and Field

Final Results

By: Tyler Pounds, Athletics Communications

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Texas A&M women's track & field team placed second at the NCAA Indoor Championships, while the 4x400m relay won with a meet record time of 3:26.68, Saturday night at the Randal Tyson Track Center.

After Tyra Gittens racked up 26-points on the first two days of competition, Texas A&M added 31-points to place second overall in the teams standings with a total of 57-points. Fifty-seven is the most points scored at an NCAA Indoor Championships meet in women's program history and equaled the most points by a runner-up team. LSU scored 57-points at the 1999 indoor championships losing to Texas by four.

The Aggie foursome of Jania Martin, Charokee Young, Tierra Robinson-Jones and Athing Mu combined to clock an NCAA meet record 3:26.68 to win the 4x400m national championship. The championship marked the third time in the women's program history to claim the relay title during the indoor season, it was also the second fastest time in collegiate history.

Martin ran the first 400m in 53.16, followed by Young's split of 50.97. Robinson-Jones clocked a split of 53.02 before Mu ran an astonishing anchor leg of 49.54. Mu's split is the fastest indoor 400m split in the world all-time.

Prior to capping the meet off with a 4x400m title, Mu and Young garnered First Team All-America honors in the open 400m. Mu placed second at 51.03, while Young ran a personal best time of 51.41 to place fourth overall. It was the fifth time this season that Young recorded a personal best while competing in the 400m.

A day after failing to score in the long jump, Deborah Acquah battled through adversity and finished second in the triple jump earning First Team All-America honors. Acquah set a school record on her first attempt at 13.82m/45-4.25. She bettered the mark on her second attempt landing at 14.27m/46-10, which equaled the NCAA meet record that was set in 2018 by Kenturah Orji of Georgia and was ¼ of an inch short of the Randal Tyson Track Center facility record.

In the men's competition, Bryce Deadmon placed fifth in the 400m at 45.54 earning First Team All-America honors. Less than an hour later Deadmon was back on the track running as a member of the 4x400m that finished seventh at 3:06.77.

Deadmon led off running the first 400m at 45.98 before handing the baton to James Smith, Jr. who ran a split of 46.82. Omajuwa Etiwe ran third leg in 46.77 before Moitalel Mpoke brought it home with a split time of 47.22 for a combined time of 3:06.77.

In total over the three-day meet, the Aggies set four school records, four all-time top-five collegiate performances and three meet records.

Texas A&M Quotes
Head Coach Pat Henry
on the NCAA Championships:
"It was a great effort by our women to finish second at this meet. It was the most points we've ever scored indoors and we got beat by 11 to Arkansas on their home track. We had numerous school records and all-time collegiate marks, more so than any school here. Nobody did what we did here, we just didn't have enough bullets."

on heading to the outdoor season:
"I'm extremely proud of this group, this will set us up for getting started outdoors in a week. We add some more athletes to our roster now to help our team. Outdoors is a different animal than indoors and it'll be fun. I love indoor track but it's preparation for outdoors because track is competed outside."