Ryan Smith

Men's Track and Field 3/25/2023 8:13:00 PM Ryan Smith, Athletic Communications Coordinator

Several strong performances highlight Day Two of Charles Austin Classic

Paxton Hair was crowned champion in the discus, while Ja'Qualon Scott won both the 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles

SAN MARCOS, Texas- The Texas A&M-Kingsville track and field program concluded the Charles Austin Classic on Saturday, with several Javelinas issuing solid performances, including junior Paxton Hair, who won the discus, and sophomore Ja'Qualon Scott, who was champion in both the 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles.

Hair heaved the implement 51.99m (170-7) for an NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark and his second farthest throw of the season, while graduate student D.J. Delancy wasn't far behind in fourth at 47.43m (155-7).

Delancy later performed well in the shot put, placing fourth with a 17.04m (55-11) toss. The event also featured senior Marco Arevalo, with the Falfurrias, Texas native digging deep and using a 17.20m (56-5.25) to place second and slot himself seventh on the DII performance list.

A pair of jumpers collected bronze, with junior Jazmin Ray finishing just behind two DI competitors in the triple jump thanks to an 11.57m (37-11.50) leap. Meanwhile, freshman Fakhreddine Benhadja used a 1.95m (6-4.75) attempt to place third in the men's high jump.

Over on the track, Scott recorded a pair of first-place finishes as he clocked in at 13.87 in the 110m hurdles to top a crowded field by over a second, with junior Gabriel Field joining him and placing fifth at 15.00. The duo later repeated their performance in the 400m hurdles, as Scott again won at 51.44, for the third fastest time nationally. Field placed fourth this time, with a time of 53.78.

Sophomore Kennedi Silmon showed out in the women's 110m hurdles, taking fourth as her time of 15.07 placed her just behind a trio of athletes from host school Texas State and UTRGV. Shortly after, freshman Amber Gonzalez ran a provisional time of 1:02.84 in the 400m hurdles to place second and rank herself 10th on the DII list.

Each 4x400m relay team performed well as the women's squad comprised of freshman Melanie Roland, sophomore Vitiana Robert, junior Sophia Ramirez, and sophomore Cynai Christopher clocked in at 3:50.1 for bronze.

Individually, Roland was issued second in the open 400m dash at 56.39, with Robert not far behind in third with a time of 57.16. Additionally, Christopher took fifth in the 200m dash at 24.95.

The men's relay crew, comprised of junior Sterling Riles, freshman Tony Benitez, junior Michael Samihamba, and sophomore Cody Fountain fell to UIW in the photo finish as the squad collected silver at 3:15.60.

Earlier in the day, Samihamba battled his way to a fourth-place finish in the 400m dash at 47.37, while Fountain earned fifth in the 800m at 1:55.24.

Senior Shaun Gill was the fifth-place finisher in the 100m dash, as the Olympian crossed the finish line in 10.74.

The Javelinas will be back in action on Wednesday as they compete in the Texas Relays at Mike A. Meyers Stadium and Soccer Field in Austin, Texas.

To keep up-to-date with Javelina track and field, follow the program on Facebook at /JavelinaSports, Twitter @JavelinaTFXC, and on Instagram @JavelinaTFXC

Print Friendly Version