KINGSVILLE, Texas — The Texas A&M-Kingsville track and field program will visit Lubbock, Texas, after an idle week to compete in the 2023 Lone Star Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will be hosted by Lubbock Christian with events at the LCU Soccer and Track Facility beginning Thursday. 
 
Tickets for the event can be purchased at the gate or online here. They are priced at $15 per day, and a $25 three-day pass is available. Additionally, select track and field events will be streamed live on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network. 
 
Thursday's competition will feature the start of the multi-events, with sophomore Nathan Melton beginning the decathlon at noon, while junior Jezell Shows competes in the heptathlon at 12:30 p.m. Melton will enter seeded seventh with a season-best total of 4,540 from the Dave Noble Relays, and Show represents the eighth seed after scoring 3,907 at the same meet. 
 
Also in action on Day One will be the hammer throw and triple jump competitors, with several Javelinas expected to reach the podium. 
 
The Javelinas boast four of the top five women's hammer marks on the season, with junior Katryna Hernandez at the top of the league's performance list at 51.14m (167-9) and freshman Mary Lloyd slotted second at 46.90m (153-10). 
 
On the men's side, senior Stephen Cardenas is seeded third, with Cardenas reaching 57.41m (188-4) for a provisional qualifying mark at the Charles Austin Classic. 
 
Freshman Fakhreddine Benhadja holds the squad's top triple jump mark of the season, reaching 13.19m (43-3.25) at the J Fred Duckett Twilight Invitational. 
 
Friday will begin at 10:30 a.m. with the back end of the multi-events, ahead of the women's discus at 3 p.m. and the women's high jump at 5 p.m. with the men's iterations following shortly after.  
 
A pair are expected to medal in the discus as junior Paxton Hair is ranked third in the men's section with a season-best distance of 53.09m (174-2), and junior Veronica Garcia sits second among the women thanks to a 45.19m (148-3) throw inside Pepsi Field at Javelina Stadium.
 
In the high jump, freshman Madison Ramos looks to make waves in her first outdoor conference meet as she ranks third with a 1.66m (5-5.25) clearance from earlier in the year.  
 
Running prelims will also occur on Friday, starting at 6:30 p.m. with the 800m run, and finals are set to begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday with the 4x100m relay. Field events on the final day will start at 11 a.m. with the javelin throw, as the Javelinas are set to shine in the pole vault and the shot put. 
 
Hernandez sits atop the league in the women's shot put at 14.45m (47-5), and junior Mackenzie Contreras is not far behind, ranking third at 13.40m (43-11.75). Senior Marco Arevalo has been the league's best for the men, with a toss of 17.39m (57-0.75) from the Dave Noble Relays, while graduate student D.J. Delancy is third thanks to a 17.04m (55-11) measurement.
 
Also topping the LSC leader board, sophomore Thomas Nieto is the favorite in the pole vault after clearing 5.45m (17-10.5) at the Crimson Tide Invitational. 
 
On the track, the men's 4x400m relay squad comprised of sophomore Ja'Qualon Scott, junior Bryson Dyer, freshman Tony Benitez, and junior Michael Samihamba, shattered the school record at the Texas Relays, with their time of 3:08.48 leading the league. 
 
Scott also represents the favorite in a pair of individual events after the Houston native clocked in at 13.56 in the 110m hurdles at the Texas Relays and 50.56 in the 400m hurdles at the Crimson Tide Invitational. 
 
The women's 4x400m relay team featuring freshman Melanie Roland, sophomore Vitiana Robert, newcomer Amber Gonzalez, and sophomore Cynai Christopher is also expected to podium, with their season-best time of 3:46.02 placing them third on the conference leader board.
 
Live results as well as a full recap following the meet can be found on javelinaathletics.com To keep up-to-date with Javelina track and field, follow the program on Facebook at /JavelinaSports, Twitter @JavelinaTFXC and on Instagram @JavelinaTFXC