Completing three weeks on the road in Gainesville, Florida for the Pepsi Florida Relays on April 4-5, the Aggies impressed with multiple top three NCAA ranking marks at James G. Pressly Stadium at Percy Beard Track.
After last weekend’s Raleigh Relays and Battle on the Bayou meets, the Fightin’ Farmers lead the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association Poll for the men’s side, while the women rank third in the first official ranking of the outdoor season.
The final event of the weekend, the men’s 4x400m relay invite brought the heat for the Aggies in the Sunshine State. Senior Antonie Nortje, senior Cutler Zamzow, senior Kimar Farquharson and redshirt senior Auhmad Robinson flew to a new World and NCAA No. 1 time for this season in 3:02.15 seconds to win the event. The first two legs were completed in 1:31.40, the third leg passed at 2:17.56 and the relay was finally completed with a 44.59 split at the 1600m mark in the fourth leg.
The women’s team opened the relays on Saturday in the 4x100m with a new NCAA No. 2 ranking and season best. Senior Latasha Smith, junior Camryn Dickson, senior Bria Bullard and junior Jasmine Montgomery crossed the finish line in 42.94 for first place.
Later that day Dickson, Smith, redshirt senior Jaydan Wood and Montgomery took third in the women’s 4x400m invite in 3:30.21.
Robinson found his second NCAA No. 1 ranking of the weekend in the men’s 400m, winning the event in 44.61. That makes him No. 3 in the world for this season. Teammates Zamzow and Nortje crossed behind Robinson in second place at 45.30 and fourth place in 45.41, respectively.
Smith and senior Kennedy Wade both finished in the top five for the women’s 400m. Smith crossed third in 51.81 while Wade finished fifth in 52.53.
Dickson and Montgomery found the podium twice more in the 200m on Friday and the 100m dash on Saturday. The juniors raced personal bests in 22.48 and 22.59 for second and third in the 200m, sliding them into the No. 6 and No. 8 spot on the A&M all-time performer’s list, respectively. Saturday’s 100m dash was won by Dickson, who currently holds the NCAA No. 4 spot, in 11.11. Montgomery placed third in the event with an 11.25 mark.
Friday saw two new Aggie titles in the men’s 400m hurdles and the women’s 3000m steeplechase.
Junior Ja’Qualon Scott sprinted to a new season best in 49.37 in the 400m hurdles.
Freshman Deborah Cherono broke the school record by nearly four seconds in the women’s 3000m steeplechase in 10:02.32, Cherono’s first time racing the event for the Maroon and White. This marks the freshman’s second outdoor season win and ranks her No. 5 in the NCAA for the steeplechase event.
Junior Jaiya Covington opened Saturday’s events with a new personal best in the women’s 100m hurdles, moving herself into the NCAA No. 4 ranking with a 12.82 mark.
Field events completed on Saturday with two top three Aggie finishes.
Sophomore Carlie Weiser found her furthest mark in the women’s shot put during her fourth throw, landing at 15.94 meters for third place.
Junior Winny Bii took second place in the women’s triple jump, leaping furthest in her fifth attempt at 13.74 meters, making her the highest placing collegiate athlete in the event.
Spot the Aggies back home at E.B. Cushing Stadium for their outdoor home opener April 11-12 for the 44 Farms Team Invitational.
