The Abilene Christian Track and Field teams dominated this weekend as they swept both team titles at the Lone Star Conference indoor track and field championships.
The women’s team took first convincingly, posting a score of 150. The men’s team edged out second placed Texas A&M Kingsville 125-123 for the title on the final day of competition.
ACU’s men’s team came into the final day of competition trailing, but was able to rally and take the LSC championship.
“This has been a long, hard fight,” head coach Roosevelt Lofton said. “I told our team that we may not be the deepest, but we are the most talented.”
The women’s team captured their first LSC title since 2008. Out of the fourteen members on the squad, there were six individual wins, including the 4×400 relay (3:45:41).
Senior Amanda Ouedraogo took first in the triple jump and set an ACU record with a 43 ft. 0.5 in.
Her winning jump came on her final attempt to surpass defending Division II outdoor champion Kearah Danville of Angelo State.
Junior Reyare Thomas captured two individual victories. In the 55, she recorded a 6.96, and in the 200, she posted a 23.97. Freshman Elea Diarra won the 400 (55.47) to add to ACU victories.
“We got a lot of big points across the board,” Lofton said. “I’m proud of them.”
The Wildcat men’s team, winner of the last nineteen LSC outdoor titles, captured five individual events and the 4×400 relay.
Senior Jordan Geary won the 200 (21.25) and 400 (48.22) and pulled the 4×400 team to victory in the final 10 meters by passing Kingsville anchor Anthony Washington on the inside to finish in 3:15.62 to the Javelinas’ 3:16.17.
Freshman Luke Woods was a surprise winner in the heptathlon with 4,520 points after heavily favored teammates seniors Parker Petty and Matthew Stark failed to clear a height in the pole vault to receive no points and fall to fourth (Stark) and fifth (Petty). The men’s team included ten freshmen of the entire 23.
“We have so many young guys,” Lofton said. “I told them, ‘You freshmen are going to have to step up,’ and they did. They were huge.”
The men’s team also got wins from freshman Johnathan Farquarshon in the 55 and senior Baptiste Kerjean in Saturday’s weight throw.
Geary, who was the outstanding runner in the 2012 LSC outdoor meet, raced three times Sunday and crossed the finish line first every time.
“I just had to have faith in myself that I would make it through the day,” Geary said. “Our coach said it would come down to the 4×4 and the triple jump. We had to give it all we had to win, and that’s what happened.”
Abilene Christian is leaving the LSC in 2013 after 40 years to return to NCAA Division I in track and field in the Southland Conference. Its appearance in the LSC indoor track and field championships was its first, last and only.
