Texas State Track & Field Athlete Sets Personal Record In 800m At Bobcat Classic

The last Texas State athlete to record a personal best was Christian Jackson. He crossed the finish line of the 400m hurdles in 53.64.

SAN MARCOS, Texas – At the Bobcat Classic on Satuday at the Bobcat Track & Field Stadium, Esther Oyetunde set a new personal best in the 800-meter run and is the second fastest in Texas State Track & Field history.

Oyetunde completed the two laps around the track in 2:07.59 to win the race by nearly five seconds. She shaved three seconds off her previous personal best that was set last month at the Roadrunner Invitational. Her time also ranks first in the Sun Belt Conference and 35^th in the NCAA West Region.

Also posting personal bests on the track for the women were Javlyn Cameron and DeAijha Hicks-Boyce. Cameron completed the 100m hurdles in 14.06 to move into sixth in the conference rankings. Hicks-Boyce completed the 100m dash in 11.63 and is now third in the SBC.

To go along with her 100m time, Hicks-Boyce completed the 200m in 23.99 to rank fifth in the Sun Belt. Taking over the top spot in the 200m in the conference was Tramesha Hardy in 22.99. It is the second time in the junior’s career that she eclipsed 23 seconds. Her mark also ranks second in Bobcat history and is the 12^th fastest in the NCAA West Region.

Hardy and Hicks-Boyce were joined by Dawnshae Evans and Chrischaynie Washington to complete the 4x100m relay in 45.48 and take over the top conference time.

Sydni Willis shaved half a second off her season best in the 400m hurdles to 59.23. She is still the only runner from the Sun Belt with a sub-minute time in the event.

Others posting top 10 conference marks over the weekend for the women’s team was Raquel Robinson (high jump) and Devina Schneider (3000m steeplechase).

For the men, Alvin Chikaeze posted a season best leap of 15.33m (50-3.5) in the triple jump that maintained his top mark in the conference. His mark moved him up to 36^th in the NCAA West Region.

The senior nearly matched his personal best in the long jump at 7.21m (23-8). It was the first time he has competed in the event this season and placed him sixth in the SBC.

Michael Madu also had a strong performance in the triple jump to move into fourth in the conference after a leap of 14.47m (47-5.75).

Setting personal bests in the throws were Samuel Hussey and Bobby Smith. Hussey unleashed a toss of 54.70m (179-5) in the hammer and Smith posted a distance of 53.82m (176-7) in the discus.

On the track, Carlos Wilson completed the 100m in a personal best 10.38 that ranks in the top 10 in program history. His time ranks sixth in the Sun Belt and is tied for the 24^th fastest in the West Region. Wilson is second in the region and sixth in country among freshmen in the event.

Fellow freshmen Jaylen Allen and Tyrell Valentine also set a personal best in the 200m and 400m dashes, respectively. Allen completed his race in 21.09 and Valentine ran a 47.85. Both now rank seventh in the conference in their respective events.

De’Marcus Porter joined the three freshmen to run a 40.32 to win the 4x100m relay. The team’s time is the fifth quickest this year in the Sun Belt.

Joe Austin completed the 800m in a personal best 1:52.55 to move up to fourth in the SBC.

The last Texas State athlete to record a personal best was Christian Jackson. He crossed the finish line of the 400m hurdles in 53.64. The sophomore moved into ninth among all hurdlers in the conference in the event.

T’Mond Johnson continued his impressive season with the shot put. The junior won the event with a toss of 19.46m (63-10.25) on his final attempt for the second best mark in program history. In all five meets he has competed in during the outdoor season, the Killeen, Texas native has surpassed 19 meters in all of them.

Next for Texas State is the Sun Belt Conference Championships that will take place at the Bobcat Track & Field Stadium May 11-13.

For the latest on the Texas State track & field teams, visit the official website of Texas State athletics at www.txstatebobcats.com, follow Twitter at TXStateTrack.com.

Final Results: http://txstatebobcats.com/documents/2018/4/28//complete_results_texas_state.pdf