Entering the meet as the No. 1 and No. 3 ranked teams, respectively, the South Plains College men’s and women’s track and field teams wrapped up their third meet of the season Saturday at the Texas Tech Open and Multis at the Texas Tech Sports Performance Center.
“We had a really good meet all around, and our teams showed they are competitors and really did some great things this weekend,” South Plains College head coach Erik Vance said. “Our teams came out, and no matter who they were competing against, showed they were coming out there to win on the track and on the runway, and we are really pleased with how they competed.”
South Plains placed three in the top five of the men’s 600 meters, as sophomore Hossam Hatib won the event with a blazing time of 1:16.23. Mehmet Celik was a step behind in 1:16.88, good enough for third, while Chevonne Hall was fifth in 1:17.59.
“The 600 is a true test of a long sprinter or a mid-distance runner, and we pride ourselves in being good in that race and use it as a tool,” Vance said. “Coach Miller is obviously very good at training for that race, and seeing what those guys went out and did, and for our guys to go out and run as well as they did is very impressive.”
In the men’s 400 meters, sophomore Jeremy Bembridge placed second with a time of 46.84. Kimar Farquharson would then take third for South Plains in the men’s 800 meters, crossing the line in 1:48.90. In the men’s mile run, Celik posted a 4:06.94, good enough for second, while Aron Tanui placed fourth in 4:15.25.
Sophomore All-American Kudakwashe Chadenga notched a second place finish in the men’s high jump, clearing the bar at 7' 3.75'. In section b of the men’s long jump, Elisha Teneus-Claude won the event with a mark of 24' 4.25'. In section b of the men’s shot put, sophomore Donroy Brown placed second with a throw of 53' 5.75'.
“I thought our jumpers had a good weekend,” Vance said. “We have had some tough weather since our last meet, and it’s tough for our jumps crew to train with the conditions we’ve had. For the most part, they haven’t had a chance to really get significant work in since our last meet at Tech, and they went out and were competitive, and what Elisha broke through for us and looked really good.”
The Texans closed out the meet with a second place finish in the men’s 4x400 relay, as Bembridge, Caio Almeida, Evaldo Whitehorne, and Farquharson ran a blistering 3:05.91.
On the women’s side, the Lady Texans posted a fourth place finish in the distance medley relay, as Rushana Dwyer, Safhia Hinds, Jeniel Jones, and Lilliana Guerrero clocked a 12:37.97. In the women’s 800 meters, Rushana Dwyer placed seventh for South Plains, turning in a 1:01.03.
“I thought our women’s team took a big step forward this weekend,” Vance said. “Our DRM team ran that race outdoors last week and didn’t run well. We challenged them to do better and compete better, and they ran nearly 40 seconds faster when essentially the same group of people running. That is a testament to them and how they have matured into the team they can be.”
South Plains’ Success Umukoro hit a national qualifying mark in the women’s 200 meters, posting a final time of 24.18, while Leticia Quingostas hit a national qualifying mark in the women’s 400 meters, running 57.55.
In the women’s 60-meter dash Maria Umoibang hit a national qualifying mark, turning in a time of 7.88, while Jeniel Jones posted a national qualifying mark in the women’s mile with her time of 5:53.44.
Sophomore Ashyiria Savage recorded a national qualifying mark in the women’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.15, while the Lady Texan’s 4x400 relay team earned a national qualifying mark as Hinds, Quingostas, Corlasia Scott, and Dwyer posted a 3:46.96 To date, the Texans have amassed 41 national qualifying marks, while the Lady Texans have racked up 15 national qualifying marks.