Texas A&M track and field traveled to Clemson, South Carolina to compete in the Tiger Paw Invitational. The Aggies showcased their talent in the Clemson Indoor Track & Field Complex and proved why they continue to be one of the nation’s best track and field programs.
Starting off in the men’s 1 mile, the Fightin’ Farmers took the top three spots, with sophomore Gilbert Rono having his personal best time of 4:02.01. Sophomore Ondrej Gajdoš was not far behind Rono’s time, finishing second with a personal best time of 4:02.32. Redshirt sophomore Diego Heredia finished in third at 4:05.23.
In the women’s 400-meter orange bracket, graduate Jermaisha Arnold tied her season-best time, despite finishing third at 51.86. Junior Jaiya Covington also tied her season best time in the women’s 60m hurdles at 8.01, finishing in second place.
Switching to the field events, senior Heather Abadie secured a third-place finish in the women’s pole vault invitational, clearing 4.14 meters and ending the first day of the Tiger Paw Invitational.
On the second and final day, sophomore Grant Ashby put up a personal-best time in the men’s 800m, clocking in at 1:48.93 despite finishing fifth. Graduate Caden Norris put up his season-best time in the same event at 1:49.15 and placed sixth. In the women’s 200m, junior Camryn Dickson put up her season-best time of 23.13 and finished fifth.
Meanwhile, the Aggies secured both first and third place finishes in the women’s 3000m, with sophomore Megan Roberts coming in first with a time of 9:19.87 and redshirt sophomore Emma Little finishing third at 9:41.43. Both times were also personal bests. In the men’s 3000m, both graduate Jonathan Chung and sophomore Jack Johnston set personal best times, with Chung finishing third with a 8:05.08 and Johnston trailing in fourth place, clocking in at 8:06.36.
The Aggies men’s 4x400m relay team continued to showcase why it’s one of the best groups in the nation, finishing first with a season-best time of 3:02.21. The lineup consisted of redshirt senior Auhmad Robinson, junior Hossam Hatib, senior Antonie Nortje and senior Cutler Zamzow.
In the field events on the second day, junior Gavin Champ finished third in the men’s triple jump, soaring 16.08 meters. Freshman Aleksandr Solovev continued his strong campaign in the men’s pole vault, finishing first in 5.65 meters. Wrapping up the field events and putting an exclamation mark on A&M’s outing, junior Winny Bii had a personal-best score in the women’s triple jump invitational, leaping for 14.01 meters.
A&M will return to R.A. “Murray” Fasken ’38 Indoor Track & Field in College Station, to host the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships from Feb. 27 – March 1.
