SPC Track and Field dominates in Oklahoma on Saturday

NORMAN, Oklahoma—The South Plains College men's and women's track and field teams looked to be in mid-season form at their first Indoor meet of the 2017 season at the University of Oklahoma on Saturday.

Felicia Frimpong and Melody Korie kicked off the first event of the day with a second and third-place finish in the women's long jump. Frimpong placed second with a final jump of 18-6 ½, while Korie took third with a distance of 18-3. Naomi Kerari placed third in the women's high jump with a final mark of 4-11 ½.

Freshman All-American Fabian Edkoki showed no sign of slowing down as the sophomore from Nigeria soared 24-11 ¾ to take first in the men's long jump, while Laquan Nairn and Derrick Monroe placed second and third with their final jumps of 24-2 ½ and 24 ¾, respectively. Nicholas Rotich went on to take fifth in the men's mile run with a time of 4:23, with Jose Silva, Deric Martinez and Connor Hughes placing seventh, eighth and ninth overall for the Texans.

Kwaume McGee leaped 6-9 in the men's high jump, good enough for second, while Roje Jackson-Chin and William Watson placed seventh and eighth for the Texans in the men's 60m hurdles with their final times of 8.42 and 8.44, respectively. Kionna Bradshaw made an impressive showing in the women's shot put with a final throw of 46-4, good enough for third, while Frimpong, Cha'Kaylin Gilbert and Korie placed fifth, sixth and seventh for the Lady Texans in the women's triple jump.

Seseilia Dala continues to be one of the top distance runners in the country, as the freshman went on to take third for the Lady Texans in the women's 1000m with a final time of 3:04.29. Freshman cross country All-American Felix Kosgei went on to take third in the men's 1000m with a time of 2:37.01. Mauricia Prieto took home a fourth place finish in the women's 400m with her final time of 59.33, while Jordan Atkinson took fourth for the Texans in the men's 400m with a time of 51.10.

Robert Dunning flew by the competition en route to a first place finish in the men's 60m hurdles with a final time of 7.97, while William Watson and Patrick Johnson placed third and fifth with times of 8.14 and 8.77, respectively. Poro Gahekave took second in the women's 800m for the Lady Texans with a time of 2:24.67. Natasha McDonald and Agnes Abrocquah placed second and third for the Lady Texans in the women's 600-yard run with their times of 1:25.99 and 1:29.56.

The Texans placed four runners inside the top 10 in the men's 600-yard run, as Okeen Williams, Rayan Holmes, Montel Hood and Junior Charles placed third, fifth, sixth and ninth, respectively. The Lady Texans' Safia Bright placed fifth in the women's 200-meter dash with her time of 25.67, while Mclendon Hill, Jonathan Witt and Patrick Johnson placed second, third and fourth for the Texans in the men's shot put.

Nairn and Edoki went on to place second and third with their final marks of 50-5 ½ and 49-10 ½ in the men's triple jump. In the women's 3000 meters, Gahekave, Leslie Romero and Caitlyn Mercer placed second, third and fourth with their final times of 11:07.48, 11:12,50 and 12:02.33, respectively. The Texans placed four runners inside the top five in the men's 3000m, as Kosgei, Omero Rodriguez, Jose Silva and Rotich swept the top four positions with their final times of 8:57.82, 9:00.68, 9:02.85 and 9:06.99, respectively.

The Texans placed first overall in the men's 4x440 yard relay with a final time of 3:18.75, while the Lady Texans 4x440 yard relay A team placed third with a time of 3:67.68, and the Lady Texans B team took fourth with a time of 4:40.43.

After a strong showing in the Sooner State, South Plains will be back on the track at the Charlie Thomas Invitational on Friday, Feb. 3 on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station.