The Texas A&M track and field teams returned from the national championships in Des Moines, Iowa, with the best combined finish in A&M history: two NCAA titles and three second-place performances.
The Aggie women had their best finish, earning 48 points. They defeated Lousiana State in the 4×100 relay but finished third behind the Tigers and second-place Arizona State. LSU won its first national championship since Aggie Head Coach Pat Henry left for A&M in 2004.
The Aggie men finished with 32 points and a No. 5 finish behind Florida State, LSU, Auburn, and Texas. It was the first Top 5 finish by the A&M since 1989.
“We were third with the ladies and fifth with the men, but we came in here of course to do a little better,” Henry said in a news release on AggieAthletics.com. “It’s never great unless you win it. That’s our goal. We’re going to try to win this thing. We get a little bit closer every time.
“I’m extremely pleased, though,” Henry said. “I’m extremely proud of that group of people. We’re extremely pleased with their efforts and the traditions they are starting with our program.”
In the final day, the Aggie women pulled off the first 1-2 finish at the national championships since Florida State in 1989. Porscha Lucas was runner-up with a time of 22.67 seconds. She was edged by teammate Simone Facey who finished in 22.63 seconds. Facey became the fifth Aggie woman to win an individual event at the national championships.
Elizabeth Adeoti, Lucas, Facey and Allison George won the women’s 4×100 relay with a time of 42.59. It was a school record and the third best time in NCAA history.
Facey was tested again by a Lady Tiger in the women’s 100 meters. Neck and neck the length of the race, LSU sprinter Kelly-Ann Baptiste’s 11.20 seconds just edged Facey’s 11.27.
The men’s 4×100 relay team performed well but was unable to hold off the LSU. Richard Adu-Bobie, Justin Oliver, Dominique Stafford and Chris Dykes ran a seasons-best 38.58 seconds to win silver.
Freshman Julian Reed was the first Aggie to win a medal at the championships. Reed set a personal best 25’11 in the triple jump to earn bronze. Reed finished behind Arizona State’s Matt Turner and Florida State’s Ngonidzashe Makusha who cleared 27 feet.
In the women’s 400 meters, Jessica Beard ran a 51.75 to finish fourth. She was the only freshman to advance to the finals.
Junior Chris Dykes won another bronze for A&M in the men’s 200 meters. Dykes’ 20.73 was not enough to beat Florida State’s Walter Dix and Richard Thompson of LSU.
Finishing the weekend for A&M was the men’s 4×400 relay team. Bryan Miller, A.C. Robinson, Nick Robinson, and Oliver were again held off by Baylor to finish second. The Aggies finished in 3:01.78 marking the third fastest time in school history.