March 26-30 Results:
Men’s Results
| Cincinnati |
Texas Relays/Stanford Invite/ Cedarville Invite/ Bobcat Invite |
RECAP |
| UConn |
Florida Relays |
RECAP |
| ECU |
Raleigh Relays |
RECAP |
| Houston |
Texas Relays |
RECAP |
| Memphis |
Joey Haines Invite |
RECAP |
| USF |
Texas Relays/Florida Relays |
RECAP |
| Tulane |
Stanford Invite/Texas Relays/Bobcat Invite |
RECAP |
| Tulsa |
Stanford Invite/ San Francisco State Invite/ Oral Roberts Invite |
RECAP |
| Wichita State |
Texas Relays/Bobcat Invite/Stanford Invite/San Francisco State Invite |
RECAP |
Women’s Results
| UCF |
Florida Relays |
RECAP |
| Cincinnati |
Texas Relays/Stanford Invite/ Cedarville Invite/Bobcat Invite |
RECAP |
| UConn |
Florida Relays |
RECAP |
| ECU |
Raleigh Relays |
RECAP |
| Houston |
Texas Relays |
RECAP |
| Memphis |
Joey Haines Invite |
RECAP |
| USF |
Texas Relays/Florida Relays |
RECAP |
| SMU |
Texas Relays/Bobcat Invite |
RECAP |
| Temple |
Raleigh Relays/Ole Miss Classic |
RECAP |
| Tulane |
Stanford Invite/Texas Relays/Bobcat Invite |
RECAP |
| Tulsa |
Stanford Invite/ San Francisco State Invite/ Oral Roberts Invite |
RECAP |
| Wichita State |
Texas Relays/Bobcat Invite/Stanford Invite/San Francisco State Invite |
RECAP |
Highlights
Top finishes, trips to the podium, personal records and national marks highlighted an eventful week for American Athletic Conference track and field teams. All 12 schools were in action, combining for 10 meets in the final weekend of March. Most American programs split their squads, sending athletes to compete at multiple events across the country.
Seven conference teams combined to set 16 top-20 marks in the NCAA this season. Twenty-four of the 46 top marks on The American’s men’s and women’s performance lists this year were set over the weekend.
Cincinnati started its 2019 outdoor track and field campaign with four meets in three states from coast-to-coast. The Bearcats competed in the 92nd Littlefield Texas Relays, the Bobcat Invitational, the Stanford Invitational and the Yellow Jacket Collegiate Open. Cincinnati snagged five event wins and set 30 personal records. Sam Meece won the discus throw at the Bobcat Invitational, outpacing the field with a personal-best toss of 53.73 meters. His throw ranks third in The American.
UConn took a trip to the Sunshine State for the Pepsi Florida Relays. Tyler Gleen ran the ninth-fastest 800-meter in the country with his time of 1:48.79. Kyle Brackman ran for a personal-best time of 14:06.92 in the 5,000-meter, placing second. The Husky men recorded several top-10 times among a loaded field. The UConn women closed the meet with three top-five finishes. The Huskies’ distance medley relay squad crossed the finish line with a time of 11:51.49 for second place.
ECU continued its season at the Raleigh Relays, as Anna Bristle broke a school record and helped set another to highlight the action. Bristle produced a new program standard in the 10,000m – crossing the finish line in 35:09.70. She also helped the 4x1500-meter relay squad to a fourth-place finish and a time of 19:03.38. The Pirates captured seven top-three finishes. Cedrina Singletary, D'Nia Freeman, Brooke Stith and Atlanta Woodall teamed up for a first-place finish in the 4x200-meter relay, sporting a time of 1:37.04.
Amere Lattin claimed the 400-meter hurdles title for Houston at the Texas Relays Friday. Lattin Clocked 49.80 seconds to improve his nation's top time and solidify his No. 1 spot in The American Athletic Conference. On Saturday, Lattin also ran for first place in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.40. He was named Men’s Performer of the Meet. On the women's side, Birexus Hawkins finished second in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 58.04, jumping to the No. 1 spot in The American and moving up to No. 8 in the NCAA.
The men's 4x200-meter relay of Nicholas Alexander, Mario Burke, Kahmari Montgomery and Obi Igbokwe finished on top with a time of 1:20.94, breaking the Houston program record and clocking the No. 30 time in world history. The men's 4x100-meter relay of Alexander, Burke, Brandon Taylor and Travis Collins finished second with a time of 38.45 to jump to the No. 2 spot in the nation. The men's 4x400-relay of Jermaine Holt, Igbokwe, Trumaine Jefferson and Quivell Jordan placed second with a time of 3:07.37 to move into the No. 2 spot in the nation. The women's 4x200-relay of Birexus Hawkins, Payge Side, Essance Sample and Ashley Seymour finished second with a time of 1:34.58. Taylor also finished third in the 100-meter dash with a wind-aided time of 10.18 to move up to No. 6 in the nation.
Memphis posted four first-place finishes on Saturday at Southeast Missouri’s Joey Haines Invitational. In the third collegiate meet of her career, Simpson reset her school record in the women's hammer with a throw of 200-3 (61.03m). Sir Newton Lee (men's 400m), Samantha Lenton (women's discus), Aisha Southern (women's 100m) and Matthew Viveiros (men's 800m) also won titles for the Tigers.
USF sent athletes to compete at both the Texas and Florida Relays. David Bell led the Bulls, placing second in the pole vault Thursday at the Texas Relays with a height of 17-04.50, which is the eighth-best mark in the NCAA this season.
SMU completed a weekend across three different meets highlighted by Hannah Miller's 10,000-meter run performance at the Stanford Invitational and Chelsea Francis' 100-meter dash time against an elite field at the Texas Relays. Miller recorded a personal record and the second-fastest mark in program history with a time of 33:23.89 to win her heat on Friday. Francis finished eighth in the prelims of the 100m (11.58 seconds). Freshman Chika Iwuamadi brought home a second-place finish in the 400-meter with a time of 54.94 at the Bobcat Invitational.
Temple competed at the Ole Miss Classic and Raleigh Relays. Helene Gottlieb ran the fastest 1,500-meter in the conference at the Raleigh Relays with her time of 4:30.29 to set a personal record. Aisha Brown highlighted the day in the high jump, bringing her second gold of the season home at the Ole Miss Classic. Brown took the title off of a tie-breaker after clearing 1.76m (5' 9.25") in the fewest attempts.
UCF stayed in state, competing at the Florida Relays. The Knights recorded several top-10 finishes and a host of personal records, as they shined in the distance events. The squad of Kaitlyn Soltis, Katie Pinnell, Victoria Jung and Charlotte Crook posted a sixth-place finish in the 4x800-meter relay with UCF’s fastest mark in the event this season at 8:49.56.
Tulane was spread out at three meets over the weekend, making appearances at the Stanford Invitational, Texas Relays and Bobcat Invitational. At the Bobcat Invitational Maya Harewood picked up a victory in the 400-meter run, just missing out on a personal best but still finishing first in a time of 54.33 seconds. At the Texas Relays, Rebekah Markel cleared an outdoor personal-record of 4.21 meters. Emmanuel Rotich ran a speedy 8:43.96 in the steeplechase, taking ninth place at the Stanford Invitational for the eighth-fastest time in the country this year.
Tulsa wrapped up its packed weekend, as the team completed its showings at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic, Stanford Invitational and ORU Invitational on Saturday. One of the top performances of the weekend for the Golden Hurricane came by way of Caitlin Klopfer, who represented Tulsa in the women's 10,000 meters at the Stanford Invitational. Klopfer managed a massive PR, running the race in 33:51.85 for the No. 2 time in outdoor school history. Robert Tully also represented Tulsa well in California, running to the tune of 3:49.81 for a personal-best time and fourth overall in a packed 1,500-meter field.
Wichita State saw action in four meets during the week. Winny Koskei, Rebekah Topham and Zack Penrod travelled to the west coast Friday to compete in the Stanford Invitational. Topham clocked the seventh-fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase in the NCAA with her time of 10:09.94. Austin Corley placed ninth in the 400m hurdles at the Texas relays. Rayvon Allen placed 10th in the long jump at the same meet with his first-attempt jump of 7.75 meters (25-5.25), which is tied for ninth in the nation. The team of Claudia Rojo, Tianna Holmes, Daysha Bullocks and Anycia Cole won the 4x400m relay at the Bobcat Invitational. Kelsey Slawson finished third in the women's shot put with a mark of 15.14m/49-8.25.