Hurdler Andrew McDowell and triple jumper Ramon Sparks ignited a strong showing by the ACU track and field team that included five top five finishes Saturday at the Texas Relays in Austin.
McDowell, a redshirt senior from Kansas City, Mo., finished second in the college division of the 110 hurdles in a blazing 14.17 seconds. That time is a mere millisecond off of the NCAA Division II leading time of 14.16 that he ran earlier in the season.
Sparks improved his No. 2 national ranking in the triple jump, boasting a leap of 52-10.75, good for fourth in the university-college men’s triple jump. Texas A&M’s Julian Reid won the triple jump with a leap of 54-8.75.
“Getting to compete at the Texas Relays is always a great experience,” Sparks said. “I’m focusing on winning the battle against myself. That’s the only thing I can control. You are your own toughest competition. As long as I give my best performance and perform to the best of my abilities, the results will take care of themselves. I’m going to maintain that mindset until nationals.”
McDowell’s teammate Kevin Johnson, a junior from Midland, had a strong showing as well, finishing fourth in the 110 hurdles with a time of 14.49. Junior College National Champion Aleec Harris of Barton County Community College was the story of the race, though, as he posted a blazing time of 13.55.
Both Sparks and McDowell continued to add to their list of accolades, as McDowell is a former national champion in the 60 hurdles and Sparks is the owner of three NCAA Division II titles in the triple jump.
Two relay teams, the men’s 400 meter and the women’s distance medley team, combined for ACU’s other top five performances in Austin.
The men’s 400-relay team, composed of, Desmond Jackson, Paris Robertson and McDowell, finished fifth with a time of 40.33 in the college division. That time was the team’s best of the season and ranks third in the latest national rankings. Robertson’s time of 10.50 in the 100-meter dash was good for sixth place in the college division.
“I was very impressed with the men’s relay team. They put up a solid time, but there is still much room for improvement. Our goal is for them to be highly competitive at nationals, as that event is critical for our team’s success at nationals,” Head Coach Roosevelt Lofton said.
Anais Belledant, Lauren Atkinson, Chloe Susset and Alyse Goldsmith made up the women’s distance medley, which placed fifth in the combined university/college division with a time of 12 minutes and 9.02 seconds.
“Their performance really impressed me,” Lofton said. “They haven’t even been practicing together for very long, and they placed at one of the biggest meets in the nation.”
Thrower Nick Jones placed ninth in the shot put with a throw of 56-8.5, while All-American long distance runner Amos Sang was 10th in the Jerry Thompson Mile Race.
Wind gusts exceeding 30 miles per hour put a damper on several events at the meet. The NCAA uses a wind scale to judge wind speed, and if the reading is above four, those competing cannot qualify for nationals because of the effect the wind has during competition. The cage steadily read 4.5 throughout the meet.
The men’s outdoor team still sits atop the latest NCAA national poll while the women’s team sits in seventh in their respective poll.
The Wildcats will compete next weekend at the Mt. San Anotonio College Relays in Walnut, Calif., before the LSC Conference Meet on May 6-8.
