Houston - In their second meet of 2025, the Texas A&M - Kingsville men's and women's track and field teams went back to Houston for the FasTrak Athletix Collegiate Challenge, where they won seven different events and placed top five in 19 more.


The Javelinas brought 55 athletes to the Invite, the most they've brought to a meet so far this season, and produced six new top-15 scores/times in the nation at D2 this year. On the men's side they won five events and had 10 other top-five finishes, while the women put up a pair of wins and nine other top-five performances.


"The team competed very well," Assistant Coach Zachary Hall said. "We had some event wins and some heat wins, plenty of top five finishes. All signs we are going in the right direction."


Saturday's performance comes two weeks after the Javelinas opened the 2025 portion of their season in Houston at the Leonard Hilton Memorial Invitational where the team broke a school record in addition to winning four events as the only D2 school competing there. Unlike at that meet, however, the FasTrak Challenge featured nearly 30 other schools including a slew of D1 programs.


Even with all of that competition, Kingsville still came up with a stellar showing. Likely the team's most impressive win came from a familiar face, senior Thomas Nieto, who competed for the first time this year. In the men's pole vault he cleared 17' 0.75'', which not only won the meet but was the fifth-best score in the nation in D2. 


"Some of our upperclassmen moved up in the national rankings while most of the team moved up on our conference rankings," Hall said.


In addition to Nieto, five other Javelinas leapt into the top 15 in D2 performances this season. Jazmin Ray's 39' 4.5'' in the women's triple jump was the second-best distance at the meet and the 12th-best in the nation. Cody Fountain won the men's 800m with a 1:51.47, the 13th-best time in D2. Two different Javelinas tied for the 14th-best height jumped in the women's high jump - Madison Ramos and Madison Alegria tied for second place at the meet, each jumping a 5'7''. Rounding out the freshly-minted trips to the top 15 was the team of Vitiana Robert, Sakara Wade, Oneika Brissett, and Cynai Christopher, who combined to bring home another TAMUK win, running a 3:47.03 in the women's 4x400m relay - the 15th-fastest 4x400 run in D2 this year. Christopher had a great showing individually as well, running the 20th-fastest 200m of the year, a 24.56, placing second at the meet.


Almost unbelievably, Kingsville still produced four other event wins on Saturday, including Senior Katryna Hernandez, who threw a 14.59m in the women's shot put. Though it is one of the top distances thrown in the nation this year, it didn't top her 14.76m from earlier this season, which is the 10th-best score in D2. The Lone Star Conference's reigning Field Athlete of the Week, freshman David Guzman, won the men's shot put with a throw of 17.36m. Following the women's suite, the men won the 4x400m as well, with Sterling Riles, Tony Benitez, Darius Bouakel, and Fountain teaming up to run a 3:16.21. Junior Taylor Chaney's 48.22 won the men's 400m, and was the 33rd-fastest time in D2.


"The meet was a great showing for the full team," Hall said. "We are excited to be moving forward next week as we split up the squads between the Terrier Classic and the Robert Platt Invite." 


While both meets will take place across this Friday and Saturday, the Terrier Classic will be in Boston while the Robert Platt Invite will be back in a familiar place, the Yeoman Fieldhouse in Houston.