STEPHENVILLE ? The Tarleton track and field teams hosted the annual Tarleton Track and Field Invitational Thursday at Oscar Frazier Track inside Memorial Stadium.
The teams recorded five provisional qualifying marks for the NCAA Championships.
“It was a really good meet,” said Tarleton head track and field/cross country coach Pat Ponder. “We had some tough competition from all of the teams in the conference and that should be a good indication of where we are at. To have five provisional marks this early in the season is a very good thing for us.”
The TexAnns' Sylvia Alexander won the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.18 while Chelsea Bradford was fourth (12.58). In the 200-meter dash, Kandis Brooks finished second with a time of 24.90 just ahead of Alexander (24.97). Bradford was fifth in 26.54.
Claire Goodman finished fourth in the 400-meter dash Thursday with a time of 59.0 seconds just half a second ahead of teammate Jessica Ryan, who finished fifth. Courtney Newsom was seventh (61.83) and Sheila Bishop was 10th (63.13).
In the 800-meter, Emily Jones and Katherine Grillo finished second and third in 2:31.92 and 2:32.26, respectively. Kymberlee Trnka finished second in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:59.59 as the lone TexAnn in the race.
Brooks, who set a provisional mark, won the 100-meter hurdles when she turned in a time of 14.24. The TexAnn 4x400-meter relay finished third with a time of 4:07.66.
Cassidi Porter and Laura Skinner finished second and third in the women's high jump after clearing 1.68 meters, a provisional mark. The places were determined on a judge's decision. Lari Ann Wagner finished seventh in the pole vault on a decision after clearing 3.0 meters.
Hillary Moreno finished fourth in the shot put with a throw of 11.99 meters ahead of teammate Meredeth Persinger (11.24) for fifth place. Persinger then chunked the discus 33.50 meters to finish ninth, just ahead of Moreno who threw 33.26 meters. Persinger then finished fourth in the hammer with a throw of 36.88 meters while Moreno was eighth with a throw of 31.79 meters.
In the men's 100-meter dash, Jamal Mays finished second in 10.86 seconds while teammate Austin Griffins was fourth in 10.92. Sheldon Feist was seventh with a time of 11.16 while Alex Adams was 10th (11.20) and Aaron Mouser was 14th (11.36). Mays finished third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.57 and Griffins was sixth (21.99). Also competing for Tarleton in the race was Aaron Gooden (22.39), Feist (22.61), Adams (22.89), Brock Harris (22.97) and Mouser (22.98).
In the 400-meter dash, Aaron Donahue finished third for the Texans with a 49.75 ahead of Jordan Hurd who was eighth with a time of 51.56. Chad Edwards (52.73) and Hurd (57.16) also ran in the 400. In the 800-meters, Bryan Ruiz was second with a time of 1:59.42.
The Texans swept first through third in the 1,500-meter run led by Jared McNeil (4:03.96) who was followed by Chris Hearell (4:08.01) and Westyn Rosiles (4:11.40).
Kolin Styles won the 5,000-meter run with a time of 15:20.51 while Gerzain Valenzuela was second (15:37.29). Ryan Quesada finished seventh (15:59.78).
Garrett Thomas won the 110-meter hurdles in a time of 14.22, .17 better than the second place runner while provisionally qualifying. Brock Harris was No. 11 after crossing in 15.97.
In the 400-meter hurdles, Thomas was third (56.61) and Jeff Smith was fifth (59.66).
Aaron Schickendanz won the men's high jump after clearing 1.98 meters while Chayden Feist was second in the pole vault after clearing 4.88 meters ? another qualifying mark. Andrew Grant was fifth in the vault (4.27) and Jordan Guerrero was sixth (4.12).
Casey Keeter was third in the shot put with a throw of 15.89 meters while Nolan Eubanks (14.80) was eighth and Tyler Stowell (13.96) was ninth. Hayden Eubanks won the discus with a chunk of 48.03 meters while Keeter was second with a throw of 46.53 meters. Nolan Eubanks (45.57) finished fifth and Jacob Pratt (43.08). Pratt was third in the hammer with a throw of 44.62 meters while Hayden Eubanks (41.32) and Nolan Eubanks (40.12) were seventh and eighth.
Tyler Stowell was 11th in the javelin with a throw of 39.68 meters.
Tarleton will return to action at the Dr. Pepper/Baylor Invitational on March 21 in Waco.
“I am very pleased with both the men's and women's teams performance overall,” Ponder said. “We will take a break for a week with spring break coming up. We will get a little rest and hope to comeback strong for the Baylor meet.”
