JONESBORO, Ark. – The Texas State men's track and field team won its first Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship title and its first outdoor title since 2004 (Southland Conference).  The Bobcat men racked up 122.5 points at the Arkansas State Track and Field/Cross Country Complex. The women concluded the meet as the runner-up after accumulating 128 points. All-in-all, the Bobcats crowned eight individual champions, set one new school records, and totaled 21 all-conference selections.
 
Big finishes from senior Kyle Denomme (second-place in the 800-meter run) and junior Michale Reyes (third-place in the 400-meter hurdles) played a critical role for the Bobcats to regain the lead for overall scoring heading into the final three events.
 
"We are so proud of these guys and how they competed," head coach Jody Stewart said. "We are elated to have this moment with this group. They stuck with us and trusted the process. This was a monumental moment for our men's program. Special thanks to our entire administration, supporters and fans."
 
Day one ended with two champions starting with junior Jaylon Jorge who launched a 57.15m (187-06) mark in the men's hammer throw. Junior Leslie Romero completed the opening day with a 36:11.53 time in the women's 10,000-meter run. Romero's mark in the event is the fastest time in the league this season and ranks No. 2 in the program's record book.
 
Junior Naomi Ferdinand claimed the first championship on day two for the Bobcats in the women's long jump, logging a 6.11m (20-0.50) leap, while classmate Ben Collerton became the back-to-back champion in the decathlon after totaling 7,180 points (No. 9 in program's record book) thanks to wins in the long jump, high jump and discus throw. Senior T'Mond Johnson claimed the final gold medal on the day for Texas State with a 19.70m (64-7.75) hurl in the men's shot put. The mark ranks No. 2 in the school's record book and secures Johnson's third straight title in the event.
 
In the final day of the championships, sophomore Brandon Busby led the charge in a Bobcat sweep of the men's discus throw with a 54.66m (179-4) mark. Texas State took second and third as well for a grand total of 24 points, giving the maroon and gold the lead in overall scoring. Sophomore Jaylen Allen helped keep the lead in tact with an impressive 46.50 time in the 400-meter dash for gold, marking the fourth-fastest time in program history.
 
On the women's side, senior Tramesha Hardy was the meet's top scorer with 21.5 points in her final Sun Belt meet. Hardy claimed her third consecutive championship title in the women's 200-meter dash, timing out at 23.14. She also placed second in the 100-meter dash with an 11.35 time (No. 3 in school's record book), anchored the women's 4x400-meter relay team (senior Dawnshae Evans, junior Breonna Hall, freshman Kattiana Ealy-Pulido) to a second-place finish, and contributed to the women's 4x100-meter relay third-place finish (freshmen Live Hilton, Sadi Giles and Anayah Washington).
 
"Both teams fought through poor weather conditions," stated coach Stewart. "It is year four for my coaching staff and we have a young, tough team that will continue to get better on both sides."
 
Other Notable
• Romero broke her own school record set a couple of weeks ago with a 10:39.89 time in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase.


Next for the Bobcats will be the NCAA West Regional Meet held May 23-25 in Sacramento, Calif.
 
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