BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The SMU Mustangs women and Cincinnati Bearcats men got off to a hot start at the 2023 edition of the American Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, taking the lead into day two of the championships.
 
Cincinnati led in the men’s competition with 46 points following the first day of competition, ahead of Memphis in second place with 38.5 points and Houston in third place with 37 points. In the women’s draw, SMU sat atop the leaders with 36 points to outpoint second place squad Cincinnati with 34.5 points and third place team Memphis with 30 points.
 
Christyan Sampy of Houston took home the first gold medal of the championship for the Cougars, clearing a height of 5.54m in pole vault, setting a program record with the mark. Regular season leader Cole Riddle of Memphis took home silver with a height of 5.34m, while teammate Evan Puckett took third place, clearing a height of 5.24m.
 
Tulane’s Kristen O’Handley broke the meet record in the pentathlon, scoring 4,175 total points. She was tied with Wichita State’s Destiny Masters going into the 800m run, where O’Handley set a meet record running a 2:15.94. Masters would finish in second place with 3,958 points, while Olivia Dobson of SMU took home third place with 3,925 points. Chakiya Plummer of South Florida set a meet record with a time of 8.47 in the 60-meter hurdles, while Spirit Morgan of Cincinnati broke the high jump record, clearing 1.80m.
 
Already leading the field in men’s weight throw, Cincinnati’s Korbin Spencer save his best through for last, with a throw of 19.49m to capture gold.  Will Dibo took home silver with a throw of 18.36m, while Cincinnati’s Fred Moudani came in third place with a throw of 18.19m.
 
SMU’s Funminiyi Olajide and South Florida’s Nia Robinson battled in the women’s long jump, both breaking the previous meet record. Olajide would come out on top, going a distance of 6.38m with her fifth jump, while Robinson jumped 6.28m with her fifth jump.  Houston’s Destiny Lawrence took home bronze with a jump of 6.13m.
 
Tulsa took home the top two spots in the women’s 5,000m run as Layla Roebke claimed gold with a time of 16:20.02 and Chloe Hershenow claimed silver with a time of 16:20.69, edging out SMU’s Kaitlyn Gearin. Gearin took third place with a time of 16:20.80.
 
Defending 5,000m champion Scott Beattie continued the Tulsa dominance in distance with a gold medal in the men’s 5,000m run, setting a new meet record with a time of 13.52.51. Cincinnati’s Milo Greder was also on pace to break the previous record with a time of 13:54.5, taking second place. Tulsa’s Malte Propp claimed the bronze with a time of 14:07.07.
 
Cincinnati’s distance medley team broke the meet record by nearly five seconds, running the DMR with a time of 11:21.95. SMU took second place with a time of 11:37.10, while Tulsa claimed the bronze medal, running an 11:37.65.
 
Cincinnati’s men’s distance medley team followed the women’s steps and took first place with a time of 9:41.29. Houston came in second place with a time of 9:45.37, while Wichita State took home bronze with a time of 9:52.05.
 
Houston’s Priscilla Adejokun used a throw of 22.12m on her third attempt to take home the gold medal in the women’s weight throw. Amber Simpson of Memphis claimed the silver medal with a throw of 21.06m, while teammate Samantha Lenton took home the bronze medal with a distance of 19.44m.
 
Women’s pole vault needed a jump off to determine a champion. Monica Aldrighetti of Memphis won the jump off over Abby Knouff of Cincinnati to take home the gold medal with a jump of 4.09m. Alyssa Morello of Memphis came in third place, clearing a height of 3.84m.
 
Jared Harrell of East Carolina jumped a personal best 7.49m in the long jump. He reached the mark on his first mark of the day. South Florida’s David Ajama took silver with a jump of 7.36m, while Houston Shaun Maswanganyi came in third place with a jump of 7.31m.
 
Mackenzie Callahan of Tulsa claimed the best time in the one mile for the women with a qualifying time of 4:54.57. Regular season leader Rylee Penn finished in 4:59.58. Other qualifiers included Temple’s Laura Nicholson (4:54.64) and Elvira Bredin (5:01.15), Tulsa’s Keely Jones (4:54.74) and Chloe McEachern (5:01.36), SMU’s Leoni Mierswa (5:01.16), Cincinnati’s Jodie Pierce (5:54.74), UCF’s Lillian Holtery (4:54.78) and Mariana Rodriguez (5:01.49), East Carolina’s Lindsay Yentz (4:55.95) and South Florida’s Arden La-Rose (5:04.16).
 
In the men’s mile, Tyler Wirth took home the top qualifying time with a time of 4:10.50. Tulsa’s Shay McEvoy (4:10.52) and Cincinnati’s Seth Elking (4:10.54) finished just behind him. Other qualifiers included Cincinnati’s Matthew Hoak (4:12.17), East Carolina’s Alex Sawyer (4:12.33), Tulsa’s Christian Baker (4:12.47), Chanel Muir (4:12.51) and Pete Johnson (4:14.47), and Memphis’s Vincent Chenier (4:10.58), Zachary Wyatt (4:12.62), Robert Arnold (4:16.54) and Tate Wyatt (4:16.60).
 
UCF claimed the top two times in the women’s 400 meter prelims as Latasha Smith (54.09) and Kiah Williams (54.14) took the top two times. South Florida’s Je’Nyia Burton finished in third with a time of 54.25, while teammate Kayla Hugg claimed the 5^th fastest time at 55.18. Houston’s Sydni Townsend (54.49), Tulsa’s Elizabeth Roca (55.24), Cincinnati’s Jayda Bushay (55.38) and Alicia Thorpe (55.49) were the remaining qualifiers.
 
Cincinnati’s Steven McElroy was the top qualifier in the men’s 400-meter prelims with a time of 46.73. South Florida had three qualifiers in Shevioe Reid (47.43), Elijah Wright (47.96) and Monte Parker (48.42). The remaining qualifiers were Trey Johnson of Houston (47.31), Wichita State’s JD Prinsloo (48.59), Cincinnati’s Keco Morrison (48.92) and East Carolina’s Zack Ray (48.95).
 
Three UCF Knights qualified in the women’s 60-meter hurdles, led by Rayniah Jones’ top time of 8.23. Teammates Kaylor Harris (8.35) and Alicia Coleman (8.55) will join her in the finals. The remaining qualifiers were Memphis’s Madison Fleming (8.34) and Simone Harper (8.52), Houston’s Destiny Smith (8.37), and the duo of South Florida Bulls’ in Shaneylix Davila (8.38) and Madeline Abega (8.40).
 
The Houston men had the top two times in the men’s 60-meter hurdles with De’Vion Wilson (7.77) and DJ Akindele (7.90). Wichita State added three qualifiers in Joseph Holthusen (8.02), Adria Navajon (8.04) and Jaleel Montgomery (8.17). The final three qualifiers were Cincinnati’s Brandon Johnson (7.96), East Carolina’s Terence Booth (8.11) and South Florida’s Michael Bourne III (8.13).
 
UCF flexed their muscle in the women’s 60-meter dash, claiming six of the eight qualifying spots. Beyonce Defreitas (7.34), Rayniah Jones (7.35) and Daija Lampkin (7.39) claimed the top three spots. Teammates Janyah Jasper (7.41), I’Asia Wilson (7.44) and Ani Well took the sixth, seventh, and eighth times. Houston’s Cecilia Tamayo-Garza and East Carolina’s Melicia Mouzzon round out the field.
 
Houston’s Shaun Maswanganyi had the top qualifying time in the men’s 60-meter dash, clocking a time of 6.58. His teammates Aaron Bell (6.80) and Edward Sumler IV (6.84) will join him in the finals. South Florida’s Zayquan Lincoln (6.75) and Jaleel Croal (6.84), Cincinnati’s Naquille Harris (6.76), East Carolina’s Royal Burris (6.77) and Tulsa’s Joshua Sutton (6.82) were the other qualifiers.
 
Tulane’s Victoria Robinson (2:09.74) edged out Houston’s Kelly-Ann Beckford (2:10.13) for the top qualifying time in the women’s 800-meter prelims. Wichita State’s Farrah Miller (2:10.02), SMU’s Macey Hilton (2:12.02) and Leoni Mierswa (2:13.08), Cincinnati’s Carmen Licht (2:10.26), Tulane’s Janae Dean (2:11.07) and Temple’s Laura Nicholson (2:13.79) round out the field.
 
Just over two-tenths of a second separated the top three qualifying times for the men’s 800-meter run with Cincinnati’s Jack Barchet (1:52.48) taking the top spot over Tulsa’s Sean Korsmo (1:52.62) and Houston’s Devin Vallejo (1:52.71). The final five qualifier were Cincinnati’s David Endres (1:54.04), Wichita State’s Bryce Merriman (1:54.17) and Houston’s trio of Lloyd Frilot (1:53.07), Adam Mason (1:54.05) and Jeremiah Wilson (1:54.63).
 
Houston’s Cecilia Tamayo-Garza (23.53) claimed the top qualifying time in the women’s 200-meter prelims, while UCF took five spots in the finals with Beyonce Defreitas (23.73), Daija Lampkin (23.88), Kiah William (23.92), Rayniah Jones (23.99) and Janyah Jasper (24.15). East Carolina’s Melicia Mouzzon (24.03) and South Florida’s Je’Nyia Burton will complete the field.
 
Maswanganyi of Houston earned the top qualifying time in the men’s 200-meter dash to go along with his 100-meter dash time, sprinting to a time of 20.95.  South Florida’s Shevioe Reid set a program record with a time of 21.02, while teammate Zayquan Lincoln (21.30) also qualified. East Carolina’s Royal Burris (21.03), Cincinnati’s Steven McElroy (21.18), Wichita State’s Joakim Genereux (21.54), Houston’s Jordan Booker (21.58) and Tulsa’s Joshua Sutton (21.59) were the other qualifiers.
 
In the men’s heptathlon, Wichita State’s Adria Navajon is leading the field after winning four of the five events. Through day one, Navajon has 3,168 points. Dominque Hall of Cincinnati is in second with 3,005 followed by Wichita State’s Hudson Bailey’s 2,745 points.
 
The 2023 American Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships will continue tomorrow, February 25 with events beginning at 9 a.m. Central, starting with the conclusion of the men’s heptathlon.
 
 
2023 American Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships
 
Men’s Teams Scores
1. Cincinnati – 46
2. Memphis - 38.5
3. Houston – 37
4. Tulsa – 19
5. Wichita State – 18
6. South Florida – 17.5
7. East Carolina - 16
 
Women’s Teams Scores
1. SMU – 36
2. Cincinnati – 34.5
3. Memphis – 30
4. Tulane – 27.5
5. Tulsa – 25
6. Houston – 24
7. South Florida – 15
     UCF – 15
9. East Carolina – 13
10. Wichita State – 11
11. Temple - 3
 
2023 American Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships
 
CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE

Friday, February 25 (ESPN+)

Women's Pentathlon - Kristen O’Handley, Tulane – 4,175 *meet record*

9:00 a.m. W-Pentathlon 60m Hurdles – Chakiya Plummer, South Florida – 8.47 *meet record*
9:45 a.m. W-Pentathlon High Jump - Spirit Morgan, Cincinnati – 1.80 *meet record*
11:30 a.m. W-Pentathlon Shot Put - Olivia Dobson, SMU - 13.9m
12:45 p.m. W-Pentathlon Long Jump – Kristen O’Handley, Tulane – 5.74m
2:00 p.m. W-Pentathlon 800m Run – Kristen O’Handley, Tulane – 2:15.94 *meet record*

Men's Heptathlon

11:00 a.m. M-Heptathlon 60m Dash - Adria Navajon, Wichita State - 6.91
11:45 a.m. M-Heptathlon Long Jump - Adria Navajon, Wichita State - 7.26m
1:00 p.m. M-Heptathlon Shot Put – Hudson Bailey, Wichita State – 12.57m
3:20 p.m. M-Heptathlon High Jump – Adria Navajon, Wichita State – 2.00m

Field Events

12:00 p.m. Pole Vault - Men's Trials & FINAL – Christyan Sampy, Houston – 5.54m
2:00 p.m. Long Jump - Women's Trials & FINAL – Funminiyi Olajide, SMU – 6.38m *meet record*
2:15 p.m. 35 lb. Weight Throw - Men's Trials & FINAL – Korbin Spencer, Cincinnati – 19.49m
3:30 p.m. Pole Vault - Women's Trials & FINAL – Monica Aldrighetti, Memphis – 4.09m
4:00 p.m. Long Jump - Men's Trials & FINAL – Jared Harrell, East Carolina – 7.49m
4:15 p.m. 20 lb. Weight Throw - Women's Trials & FINAL – Priscilla Adejokun, Houston – 22.12m

Track Events

12:25 p.m. Mile Run - Women's Trials – Mackenzie Callahan, Tulane (Top Qualifier) – 4:54.57
12:40 p.m. Mile Run - Men's Trials – Tyler Wirth, Cincinnati (Top Qualifier) – 4:10.50
12:55 p.m. 400m Dash - Women's Trials – Latasha Smith, UCF (Top Qualifier) – 54.09
1:10 p.m. 400m Dash - Men's Trials – Steven McElroy, Cincinnati (Top Qualifier) – 46.73
1:35 p.m. 60m Hurdles - Women's Trials – Rayniah Jones, UCF (Top Qualifier) – 8.23
1:45 p.m. 60m Hurdles - Men's Trials – De’Vion Wilson, Houston (Top Qualifier) – 7.77
1:55 p.m. 60m Dash - Women's Trials – Beyonce Defreitas, UCF (Top Qualifier) – 7.34
2:05 p.m. 60m Dash - Men's Trials – Shaun Maswanganyi, Houston (Top Qualifier) – 6.58
2:30 p.m. 800m Dash - Women's Trials – Victoria Robinson, Tulane (Top Qualifier) – 2:09.74
2:45 p.m. 800m Dash - Men's Trials – Jack Barchet, Cincinnati (Top Qualifier) – 1:52.48
3:00 p.m. 200m Dash - Women's Trials – Cecilia Tamayo-Garza, Houston (Top Qualifier) – 23.53
3:15 p.m. 200m Dash - Men's Trials – Shaun Maswanganyi, Houston (Top Qualifier) – 20.95
4:15 p.m. 5000m Run Seeded FINAL - Women's – Layla Roebke, Tulsa – 16:20.02
4:40 p.m. 5000m Run Seeded FINAL - Men's – Scott Beattie, Tulsa – 13:52.51 *meet record*
5:00 p.m. Distance Medley Relay FINAL - Women's – Cincinnati, 11:21.95 *meet record*
5:20 p.m. Distance Medley Relay FINAL - Men's – Cincinnati, 9:41.29

Saturday, February 26 (ESPN+)

Men's Heptathlon

9:00 a.m. M-Heptathlon 60m Hurdles
10:00 a.m. M-Heptathlon Pole Vault
3:05 p.m. M-Heptathlon 1000m Run

Field Events

9:45 a.m. High Jump - Men's Trials & FINAL
9:45 a.m. High Jump - Women's Trials & FINAL
10:00 a.m. Shot Put - Men's Trials & FINAL
11:00 a.m. Triple Jump - Women's Trials & FINAL (pit A)
12:30 p.m. Shot Put - Women's Trials & FINAL
1:00 p.m. Triple Jump - Men's Trials & FINAL (pit B)

Track Events

11;20 a.m, Mile Run - Women's FINAL
11:30 a.m. Mile Run - Men's FINAL
11:40 a.m. 400m Dash - Women's 2-section FINAL
11:50 a.m. 400m Dash - Men's 2-section FINAL
12:10 p.m. 60m Hurdles - Women's FINAL
12:20 p.m. 60m Hurdles - Men's FINAL
12:30 p.m. 60m Dash - Women's FINAL
12:40 p.m. 60m Dash - Men's FINAL
1:00 p.m. 800m Run - Women's FINAL
1:10 p.m. 800m Run - Men's FINAL
1:20 p.m. 200m Dash - Women's 2-section FINAL
1:30 p.m. 200m Dash - Men's 2-section FINAL
1:40 p.m. 3000m Run Unseeded - Women's
1:55 p.m. 3000m Run Unseeded - Men's 
2:10 p.m. 3000m Run Seeded - Women's
2:25 p.m. 3000m Run Seeded - Men's
2:40 p.m. 4x400m Relay - Women's
2:50 p.m. 4x400m Relay - Men's