Texas A&M track and field returned to action on the weekend of April 22-23 for the Michael Johnson Invitational hosted at Baylor University in Waco. After the conclusion of this meet, the Aggies only have one more before they head to the SEC Outdoor Championships on May 12.
The Aggies were able to secure a victory in the men’s 4×400 relay in the only relay event win for A&M on the day. With a finishing time of 3:02.23, the Aggies were able to edge out Baylor and TCU for the top spot in the event. The wind was a major factor in this event, reaching speeds close to 40 mph at times.
“The wind was terrible and, in some regards, a little bit too much to overcome, but we got a few things done here,” coach Pat Henry told 12thman.com. “Anything around the oval was extremely difficult to do, so for our relay to run 3:02.23 is a heck of a run.”
A&M was also able to secure two wins in individual events by way of sophomore Lamara Distin and senior Deborah Acquah. Distin was able to win the women’s high jump with a best jump of 1.93 meters on her third attempt at the jump. Acquah secured the top spot in the women’s triple jump with a jump of 13.64 meters on her final attempt.
Freshman Bryce Foster finished the meet with a new personal record in men’s shot put of 18.93 meters while placing third in the event. As a freshman, Foster is already making his way into the Aggie record books. With another top-10 finish on Saturday, Foster has now propelled his way up to sixth for all-time top-12 marks in program history.
Other notable finishers for the maroon and white include seniors Kaylah Robinson and Jania Martin in the women’s 200 meters, placing fifth and seventh, respectively; graduate Deshae Wise, who placed fifth in the women’s 100-meters hurdles; junior Ryan Martin and sophomore Emmanuel Yeboah, who each placed in the top-ten of the men’s 100 meters and 200 meters; junior Lance Broome, who placed fourth in the men’s 200 meters; junior Teddy Radtke, who took second in the men’s 3,000-meters steeplechase; and junior Nickolas Mirabelli, who took third in the men’s javelin throw.
With the SEC Outdoor Championships and NCAA Prelims looming in the month of May, the Aggies will head into the final regular season meet for their outdoor season on Saturday, April 30 at the Alumni Muster meet in College Station.