South Plains track and field shines at David Noble Invitational

SAN ANGELO—The South Plains College men's and women's track and field teams concluded their third meet of the outdoor season over the weekend at the 2017 David Noble Invitational at LeGrand Stadium at 1st Community Credit Union Field.

The Texans placed third with 114 team points while the Lady Texans also earned a third place finish with 107.5 team points. Angelo State placed first on the men's side with 213 points and TAMU-Commerce took second with 135.33. Angelo State also placed first in the women's division with 226.5 points as TAMU-Commerce placed second with 117.5.

Jordan Atkinson used a late surge in the men's 200-meter finals to take first overall with a time of 20.98. Felix Kosgei and Omero Rodriguez took the top two spots in the men's 800-meters with their times of 1:58.05 and 1:58.75, respectively. Kosgei also took first in the 1500-meters with a time of 3:58.95.

Jose Silva placed sixth in the men's 5000-meters with a time of 16:02.27 while Connor Hughes placed eighth with a time of 16:14.62. William Watson and Mason Weh placed second and third for the Texans in the 110-meter hurdles as Watson ran a 13.97 while Weh finished with a time of 14.03. The Texans swept the top three positions in the men's 400 hurdles as Okeen Williams placed first with a time of 51.04, while Rayan Holmes took second with a 51.32 and Watson placed third with his time of 52.24.

Nicholas Rotich took first in the men's 3000 steeplechase with a time of 10:06.15. Laquan Nairn continues to impress in the men's long jump as the freshman from the Bahamas soared 25' 5.25", good enough for second place overall. Saahir Bethea wasn't far behind with his third place finish and final mark of 24' 11.75". Patrick Johnson placed third for the Texans in the decathlon with a final point tally of 6025, while Jonathan Witt placed fifth with 5557 points and Zach Hancock placed sixth with 4743 points.

Mauricia Prieto and Omotayo Abolaji placed first and second for the Lady Texans in the 100-meters as Prieto ran an 11.44 and Abolaji finished with a time of 11.54. In the women's 200-meters, Natassha McDonald placed third with a time of 23.95 while Safia Bright placed fourth with a time of 24.17.

Latriceia Smith placed third for the Lady Texans in the 400-meters with a time of 57.12, while Ashley Hughes placed seventh in the 800-meters with a time of 2:32.51. In the women's 5000 steeplechase, Seselia Dala took second overall with a time of 18:45.96, while Caitlyn Mercer placed eighth with a time of 21:01.20.

Poro Gahekave dominated the women's 3000 steeplechase with her final time of 11:49.33, while the Lady Texans' 4x100 relay team comprised of Taylor Hill, Prieto, Bright and Abolaji took first overall with their time of 45.68. In the women's high jump competition, Naomi Kerari placed fifth after clearing 5' 3.25".

Cha'Kaylin Gilbert launched 19' 9" in the long jump to place fourth overall, followed by a fifth place finish in the triple jump with a mark of 39' 1.75". Kiona Bradshaw used a throw of 47' 9.25" to place third for the Lady Texans in the shot put, while Katelyn Clarkston placed first overall in the women's javelin with a final mark of 126' 4".