The Texas A&M men’s and women’s track and field teams advanced 24 entries to the NCAA Outdoor Championships after the NCAA West Regional on Saturday, May 29 at E.B Cushing Stadium.
Freshman Athing Mu won the women’s 400-meter with a time of 49.68, breaking the collegiate record. Before the final day of competition, the Aggies had five entries and advanced another 19 during the final day.
This marks the fourth outdoor meet A&M hosted at E.B. Cushing Stadium this season.
“I’m proud of everyone that helped run this track meet,” head coach Pat Henry told 12thman.com. “[I] had a lot of people around the community give me a call, or send me a note expressing how happy they were to have this many people in town.”
Mu’s time ranks No. 4 on the world U-20 all-time list as she beat her own American U-20 record by .16 seconds. This was her fifth collegiate record set this year and her first outdoor record set at E.B. Cushing Stadium.
The Aggies advanced all four relay teams, including the men’s 4×100-meter comprised of junior Emmanuel Yeboah, freshman Devon Achane, sophomore Lance Broome and graduate Jace Comick, and the men’s 4×400-meter team of junior Moitalel Mpoke, graduate Bryce Deadmon, graduate Devin Dixon and freshman Omajuwa Etiwe.
The women’s team advanced the 4×100-meter team of junior Zhane Smith, senior Kaylah Robinson, junior Rachel Hall and freshman Laila Owens and the 4×400-meter team of Mu, sophomore Charokee Young, junior Tierra Robinson-Jones and graduate Jaevin Reed.
“I think anytime you advance all four relays, you have to be pleased with that,” Henry said. “It’s not just about qualifying –– it’s about going to Eugene and doing something there.”
The women’s 4×400-meter team had a time of 3:25.84 which is the leading world time and the third-fastest relay in school history. The men’s 4×100-meter team clocked in at 38.93 seconds, now the fastest team in the West. The men’s 4×400-meter finished second in the West at 3:03.12, and the women’s 4×100-meter team grabbed the last qualifying spot with a 44.65.
Young became the third-fastest performer in school history at a personal best 50.85 to finish fourth and meet Olympic qualifying standards. Robinson-Jones ran a personal best 51.50 to become the seventh best performer in school history.
Achane qualified in both the men’s 100-meter with a personal best 10.26 and the 200-meter with a time of 20.40. Broome qualified in the men’s 200-meter as well at 20.60.
Freshman Brandon Miller finished as the fastest men’s 800-meter runner as he ran a personal best 1:45.57, becoming the fourth-fastest U-20 American all-time and setting an NCAA West Prelim record. Dixon also qualified in the men’s 800-meter at 1:47.65. Deadmon was the top runner in the men’s 400-meter with a 44.57.
Mpoke broke his own school record in the men’s 400-meter hurdles with a time of 48.81 and is ranked No. 3 in the NCAA and No. 8 in the world.
Senior Deborah Acquah finished first in the women’s triple jump with an NCAA West Prelims record of 13.72 meters (45-0.25). Sophomore Lamara Distin and junior Tyra Gittens both cleared 1.82 meters (5-11.5) in the women’s high jump to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Robinson became the ninth-fastest performer in school history in the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.13. Summer Thorpe also qualified for Eugene at 13.22.
Those who advanced will compete in Eugene, Ore. on June 9-12 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Hayward Field.