LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - In their first scoring meet of the season, one of which included a talented field of Division I competitors, Southern Arkansas' Mulerider Men and Women more than held their own as both recorded top three finishes in the first scored meet of the season over the weekend at the Little Rock Invitational.
The Southern Arkansas Women recorded 34 point-scoring finishes and were highlighted by
Breyonna Steward's career-best effort in the triple jump event which placed her atop the podium. SAU placed third of eight teams behind 133 total points scored.
Kamrin Hooks (25.10) and
Jordan Collins (25.21) finished sixth and seventh in the 200M to earn a collective five points. The times are the second and third fastest times in the GAC this season.
Collins ran to a current Great American Conference-best in the 400M with a fourth-place time of 57.65; a career-best effort for the freshman. Hooks placed seventh to earn two points and her time of 58.74 is the fourth fastest in the GAC this season.
Kaliyah Thompson led a group of Muleriders that combined for 23 points in the 100H as Thompson finished second with teammates landing in fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth place.
Rozlyne Manor earned six points in the 400H with the GAC's sixth-fastest time in the event this season at 1:05.63.
SAU placed its 4x100 team (
Tylaa Berry, Hooks, Collins,
Sa'Moriya Walker) third at 47.88, while it's 4x400 team (Manor, Hooks,
Jordan Walker, Collins) recorded a time of 4:04.40 to place third.
Alexis Matlock placed sixth in the high jump (5' 1"),
Emilee Bates earned a fifth place result in the pole vault (10') and
Hope Johnson finished sixth in the long jump (17' 2.25"). Steward placed eighth to grab an 11th point for her meet total.
Irieyanna Wilson placed third in the shot out with a current GAC-best and personal-best result of 43' 4.5". She also placed fourth in the discus (127' 10") and seventh in the hammer (131' 10").
Kailyn Thomas led SAU in the discus (132' 1") with a third-place finish and in the hammer (139' 10") with a fourth place showing. Thomas placed fifth behind Wilson in the shot put. The throwing duo combined for 30 points in the meet.
Anaya Ervin,
Ja'Kaya Lewis and
Ariana Morris all scored in the javelin as the trio all tossed north of 79' with Ervin leading the three at 85' 3".
The Southern Arkansas Men totaled 41 point-scoring finishes and received top podium placements by
Joseph Boyd in the pole vault and by the 4x100m relay team.
Bryson Johnson raced to 200m time of 21.20 which is a career-best effort and currently an NCAA DII provisional qualifying time in the event. He placed second overall in the 23-runner field. The Muleriders finished second of six teams scoring 179 total points.
Landon Way blazed a fourth-place finish in the 100M with the fastest time in the GAC this season at 10.61 (3.5).
Keith Smith (10.76) and
Travon Johnson (10.83) placed seventh and eighth, respectively to receive three total points. B. Johnson's efforts in the 200M earned SAU eight points.
Dorian Presley led five other Muleriders that recorded top 15 finishes in the 400M as he placed sixth in 50.78 to earn three points.
Hector Hernandez led SAU in both the 800M with a time of 1:59.95 and in the 1500M at a personal-best time of 4:03.44. He placed sixth and fifth respectively to total eight points.
Rob Kraus earned three points in the 1500M with a seventh-place finish in 4:03.44.
Joseph Garay's time of 17:02.82 earned him a sixth-place finish and five total points.
The Muleriders saw five athletes earn point-scoring finishes in the 110H with
Carter Cheek with a personal-best time of 14.58 to place third. The result is the second-fastest in the GAC this spring.
Caleb Sterling finished in under 15.00 at 14.95 to place fifth and grab five points. SAU claimed 20 points in the event including two from
Sid Hampton who recorded a personal-best time of 15.82.
Brandon Sofi (15.19) and
Connor Westhoven (16.08) combined for five points.
Sterling led SAU in the 400H with a seventh-place result of 58.77 for two points. Westhoven placed eighth to earn the final point at 58.94.
SAU's 4x100 relay of B. Johnson, T. Johnson,
Daymien Smith and Way won with a time of 41.40. The 4x400 relay of
Tahj Beatty,
Carter Duncan, B. Johnson and Pressly finished in second at 3:26.59.
Derrick Onyeador scored four points with a fifth-place result in the high jump (6' 2").
Jeremy Jackson (21' 5.25") and K. Smith (21' 4") earned the final two point-scoring placements in the long jump.
K. Smith picked up eight points in the triple jump with a second-place finish at 45' 6.5"
Chauncey Blake (43' 7.25"),
Peyton Williams (42' 5.25") and Onyeador (41' 11.25") combined for 15 points in the event.
Ja' Kamron Zackery scored a collective 15 points across three throwing disciplines. Zackery finished seventh in the shot put (47' 11.25") behind
Traveon Scott's sixth-place result (47' 11.25") which he hit on his final toss.
Micheal Jones grabbed the final point in the shot out at 47' 10". Zackery placed second in the discus (151' 4") and Scott followed in fourth (146' 10"). Zackery (151' 8"), Scott (150' 2") and
Trevon Hill (147' 2") combined for 11 hammer points.
Korbin McAuliffe's second-place finish in the javelin (153' 1") led four other point-scoring Muleriders in the event.
The Mulerider Men and Women head to Nacogdoches for the three-day Carl Kight Invitational hosted by Stephen F. Austin. Live coverage links will be available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com
