Relays punch tickets to finals, Clarke enters record book on Day 2 of Texas Relays
AUSTIN, Texas – On an afternoon in which the winds were more favorable, the Northwestern State track and field team took advantage with better times Friday on the second day of the Texas Relays.
A pair of relays punched their cards to Saturday’s finals with qualifying finishes Friday.
The women’s 4×100 relay looked in late-season form as the foursome of Robyn Byrd, Jayla Fields, Aarika Lister and Natashia Jackson clocked a 45.28, the seventh-fastest time in NSU history.
The 45.28 won NSU’s heat and finished second overall.
The men’s 4×400 relay advanced to the finals with a second-place finish in its heat with a time of 3:12.61. The quartet of Dejon Blake, Kennedy Harrison, Ebenezer Aggrey and Destine Scott finished sixth overall.
Joining the women’s 4×100 and the men’s 4×400 will be the women’s 4×400 and the men’s 4×100 relays, the latter two of which passed on to the finals because of marks earlier this season.
Natashia Jackson will run in the 400 meters after qualifying for the finals Thursday.
The men’s and women’s triple jump will begin competition Saturday.
Lauren-Ashley Clarke, Jasmyn Steels and Quindarrius Thompson will seek marks worthy of NCAA East Prelims qualification.
Thompson will compete in Section A of the men’s triple jump with Clarke and Steels and Section B of the women’s triple jump.
Highlighting Friday’s jumps competitions, Clarke made room for herself in NSU’s record books by logging the third-best high jump height in program history at 5-9.25.
Clarke cleared her personal best height on the first try after saving the event by jumping the previous height (5-7.25) on her third attempt.
Only one jumper in the field cleared the next height (5-10.5) as Clarke finished third.
One day after landing on NSU’s best performers list in the 400 meter hurdles, Janiel Moore repeated the feat in the 100 meter hurdles.
Moore’s 13.82 makes her the seventh-fastest NSU hurdler in the 100 meters. She placed fifth in her heat and 27th overall.
All three of NSU men’s 100 meters finished in the top 30 with Kie’Ave Harry just missing a spot in Saturday’s finals.
Harry turned in a personal best 10.29, .002 slower than heat winner Bryan Henderson (Sam Houston), who captured the automatic bid. Two heat winners ran slower than Harry.
Javin Arrington also recorded a personal record 10.42 to place 22nd overall, and Tre’Darius Carr came in 29th with a season-best 10.50.
On the women’s side, Aarika Lister posted a personal best in the 100 meters with an 11.69, finishing 17th overall. In Robyn Byrd’s first 100 meters at NSU, she turned in an 11.94 to place 32nd.
In the men’s long jump, Markeit Steverson neared his season-best with a 24-1 on his sixth and final attempt, placing fifth.
Pole vaulter Annemarie Broussard topped 12-6 on her first attempt but couldn’t get over the next bar at 12-11.75. The sophomore finished seventh.
