Track and Field | 1/16/2018 10:44:00 AM

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas State track and field teams combined to record 31 performances that rank in the top 10 in the Sun Belt Conference this season on Saturday at the Ted Nelson Invitational in the Gilliam Indoor Track & Field Stadium at the McFerrin Athletic Center.
 
"For this early in the season, we competed well as a team," said Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Jody Stewart. "We had challenges but our student-athletes responded well, competed tough and will continue to learn from these experiences. As a team, we had some strong performances but we still have work to do."
 
Six individuals and the women's 4x400m relay post conference leading marks at the meet. On the men's side, Alvin Chikaeze leapt 15.16m (49-9), a foot improvement from last week, for the SBC leading mark and places him in the top 10 in school history. T'Mond Johnson recorded the second best toss in the shot put in Bobcat history with a distance of 18.95m (62-2.25) and increases his season mark by two feet.
 
On the track for the women, Tramesha Hardy and Devina Schneider posted conference leading times. Hardy completed the 400m in 55.19 and Schneider crossed the finish line in the mile in 5:00.97, a top 10 program time. The women's 4x400m relay squad of Dawnshae Evans, Esther Oyetunde, Syndi Willis and Hardy ran a 3:46.14 to pace all Sun Belt teams by over two seconds.
 
Mylana Hearn recorded a personal best jump of 12.81m (42-0.5) in the triple jump. Her distance is the best in the conference and ranks in the top 10 in TXST history. Also recording a top 10 program mark and ranking first in the SBC was Courtney Johnson in the high jump. She cleared a personal best tying 1.77m (5-9.75).
 
The Bobcats recorded multiple top 10 Sun Belt marks in eight events. The most were three in both the women's 400m and high jump. Joining Hardy with top times in the 400m were Taffoya Shirley (57.20), who improved her time by a second from the season opening meet, and Dawnshae Evans (57.63) for fourth and fifth, respectively. Raquel Robinson increased her season best clearance by 3.5 inches to 1.69m (5-6.5) in the high jump to rank sixth and Lauren Purdom is ninth after jumping over the high jump bar at 1.64m (5-4.5).
 
Also in the women's events, Taydria Nickerson uncorked a triple jump of 11.75m (38-6.75). Her leap is a four-inch improvement from last week and places her sixth in the conference. The 200m saw DeAijha Hicks-Boyce run a 25.21, the sixth best in the league. Chrischaynie Washington completed the 200m in 24.97 for the fourth fastest time in the SBC. The freshman also has the 10th quickest 60m mark (7.81) so far this season.
 
The men's team recorded multiple top 10 conference marks in three field events. Ronnie Briscoe joined Chikaeze in the triple jump with the No. 3 leap at 14.29m (46-10.75). In the weight throw, Jaylon Jorge and Bobby Smith recorded distances of 17.28m (56-8.5) and 16.65m (54-7.5), respectively. Jorge ranks fifth in the SBC after his three and a half feet improvement while Smith has the eighth best toss this season after an increase of six and a half feet from his mark in Baton Rouge, Louisiana last week.
 
Michael Madu and Carlos Wilson are fifth and sixth, respectively, in the league's rankings. Madu posted a leap of 7.23m (23-8.75) to improve his season best by 18 inches. Wilson jumped half a foot farther at 7.04m (23-1.25). The freshman also has the 10th fastest 60m mark this year at 6.90.
 
In the 3000m, Logan Pittdman crossed the finish line in 8:38.11 to place sixth after this weekend in the conference. Joining him in the top 10 was Jose Angel Gonzalez in eighth with a time of 8:44.19.
 
Others to record top 10 Sun Belt marks in College Station for the men were Jaylen Allen (200m), Jordan Janer (Mile), Kelson Pierre (48.92) and the 4x400m relay team of Christopher Green, Christian Jackson, Briscoe and Pierre.
 
Also posting top 10 marks on the women's team were Madilyn King (Mile), McKynzie King (3000m), Kaylee Krenek (60m hurdles) and Erin Williams (800m)
 
Next up for the Bobcats is a trip to Albuquerque for the Next Mexico Team Invitational that will take place January 27.
 
For the latest on the Texas State track & field teams, visit the official website of Texas State athletics at www.txstatebobcats.com and follow Twitter at TXStateTrack.com.