The Wildcat’s men and women track and field teams both finished third in their last Lone Star Conference Championships over the weekend in Canyon. The third place finish snaps the ACU men’s nineteen year first place streak, as Angelo State took home first and West Texas edged out the Wildcats for second place by half a point.

“It was an exciting weekend that brought the best out of everybody,” Head Coach Jarrod Cook said. “When all is said and done, I’m proud of all of the athletes. They all stepped up and did their part to make everything happen for each other.” The team finished the competition with great performances and personal bests. Capturing first place freshman was Andrew Hudson in the discus, freshman Xavier King in the 1500m, sophomore Lexus Williams in the 100m hurdles, and the 4x400m relay of  senior Shennae Steele, sophomore Karolyn Palmer, senior Ayesha Rumble and freshman Elea Diarra, which passed two teams at the finish line for a season best mark of 3:46.80.

Hudson finished with a win in the discus and a third place finish in the hammer throw (166-11). King was fantastic in the 1500m, as he took home first with a 3:58.61 time, third place in the 5,000m (15:23.63) and finished seventh in the 800m (1:59.21). In the 100m hurdles, Williams recorded a 13.8 second time to earn a first place finish as well.

“The biggest thing among all our winners today was their high level of expectation of themselves and to continue the program’s legacy,” Cook said. “Their performances are a real testament to their mental strength and physical ability.”

ACU also set LSC and stadium records over the weekend. Senior Shalaina Lakey recorded a championship record toss of 175 feet-09 inches (53.58 meters), which broke the previous record held by Angelo State’s Adree Lakey since 2009 (173-8/52.93m). Senior Baptiste Kerjean also set the new record in the hammer throw with a 209-10 throw.

Senior Chloe Susset captured an unprecedented fourth straight steeplechase victory at the championships. She finished with a 10:54.05 time, which set a new West Texas Stadium record. A six-time conference champion, Susset won her first steeplechase title in 2010. She then won both the steeplechase and 1500m titles at the 2011 and 2012 meets.

ACU’s 4x400m men’s team of sophomore Osei Allyene-Forte, junior Darian Hogg, senior Banjo Jaiyesimi and senior Jordan Geary finished third behind Angelo and Tarleton State with a season best and NCAA provisional mark of 3:47.86.

“Jordan is all heart and I can’t say enough good things about him,” Cook said. “He played a major role for us at the meet, and got us back in that last race along with Banjo. They all were incredible.”

The team’s next event will be in Abilene at Elmer Gray Stadium. ACU will compete in the ACU Oliver Jackson Twilight on Wed. May 8.