The Texas A&M women’s team took home the 4×400-meter National Championship with a meet record of 3:26.68 when the Aggies’ men’s and women’s track and field teams closed out the indoor season with the NCAA Indoor Championships at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
The collegiate record-holding relay team of Jania Martin, Charokee Young, Tierra Robinson-Jones and Athing Mu posted the second fastest time in program history on Saturday. Mu anchored the relay with a split of 49.54, the fastest split in the world in an indoor 4×400-meter.
Despite setting records, the point totals were only enough to lift the women’s track and field team to second place in the NCAA championships with 57 total team points behind winner Arkansas with 68 points.
“We had numerous school records and all-time collegiate marks, more so than any other school here,” head coach Pat Henry told 12thman.com. “Nobody did what we did here. We just didn’t have enough bullets.”
The Aggies set four school records, four all-time top-five collegiate performances and three meet records during the three-day event.
Tyra Gittens claimed the NCAA pentathlon National Championship with a collegiate and facility record score of 4,764 points. She also set a new national record for Trinidad and Tobago and became the first A&M woman to win an individual indoor title since 2014 when Brea Garrett won the weight throw.
Gittens clocked a 8.27 in the 60-meter hurdles setting a personal best, followed by winning the high jump at 1.93m/6-4, which bested her previous school record of 1.91m/6-3.25. The high jump equaled the Trinidad and Tobago national record.
In the shot, Gittens put up a throw of 13.86m/45-5.75. In the long jump, she hit 6.58m/21-7.25 on her final attempt. She capped her performance by running a personal best of 2:28.22 in the 800-meter.
Mu competed in the 400-meter placing second with a time of 51.03 right behind Kaelin Roberts of USC’s time of 50.84. Young also competed in the event running a personal best 51.41 to give her a fourth place finish and the fifth best all-time performance.
“I’m extremely proud of this group,” Henry told 12thman.com. “This will set us up for getting started outdoors in a week.”
Deborah Acquah claimed a second-place finish and set a school record in the triple jump with a mark of 14.27m/46-10, also setting a new personal best.
On the men’s side, Bryce Deadmon placed fifth in the 400m at 45.54 and was part of the 4x400m relay team that placed seventh alongside James Smith Jr., Omajuwa Etiwe and Moitalel Mpoke. Deadmon earned two First Team All-American honors and ran the second-best 400m time in the prelims at 45.37 to advance to the finals.
Aggies earning Second Team All-American honors include Lamara Distin placing ninth in the high jump, Darius Clark placing 10th in the long jump, Deborah Acquah finishing 11th in the long jump, and Jania Martin placing 11th in the 200m.
“I love indoor track, but it’s preparation for outdoors because track is competed outside,” Henry told 12thman.com.
The Aggies are scheduled to start the outdoor season at the Willie Williams Classic in Tucson, Ariz., March 19-20.