Last weekend, the ACU men’s and women’s track team traveled to Baylor for the Michael Johnson/Dr. Pepper classic.
In Waco, the ‘Cats won five events, including Senior Nick Jones’ two victories in the shot put and discus.
“It is awesome to win at a place like Baylor at the Michael Johnson classic because there is such history there,” Jones said.
The men dominated the field events, as they also were able to capture first place in the long jump thanks to Levance Williams flying through the air on his way to a twenty-five foot jump.
Also in the long jump, ACU’s own Jarvis Gotch was able to secure second place, so the ‘Cats were well represented on the podium.
The fourth victory of the day came from Baptiste Kerjean’s hammer throw that cleared all the other competitors by nearly ten meters, leaving no doubt about his supremacy in that event.
“It is good to see a lot of guys really pushing their marks and as a team, we are making a lot of progress and getting better,” Jones said.
The ‘Cats were not just winning field events though, 400 meter hurdler Kevin Johnson won his event as well, showing that ACU could run and throw with anyone in the nation.
On the women’s side, ACU was able to secure several provisional spots on their way to an excellent showing in Waco as well.
All three of the participants in the women’s hammer throw were able to set personal records on their way to provisional qualification. Alexis Wilder’s throw of 170-01 lead the way, while Shalaina Lakey and Lauren Hartwick were both able to send their hammer over 160 feet.
The women’s team also set several personal bests in the track event on the way to even more provisional qualifications.
In the individual events, Shennae Steele, Ayesha Rumble, Emily Hill, and Chloe Susset all set provisional marks and will be seen in the NCAA championships.
The women’s 4X100 meter relay team of Williams, Steele, Sydney Smith and Karolyn Palmer were also able to qualify for the championships with a time of just over forty-five seconds.
“It is always a good meet with a good track,” Head Coach Roosevelt Lofton said. “That and the atmosphere really helped our girls run well and put up good times.”
The Wildcats will be participating in the West Texas A&M Open and the Penn Relays in Philadelphia in the next few days, with a chance to see how they stack up against some teams in the LoneStar Conference and get some great competition on a national stage.
