AUSTIN, Texas — Led by Jemuel Miller’s school record-breaking performance in finishing as the top collegian in the men’s triple jump, the UTSA track & field teams registered a trio of podium finishes at the Texas Invitational on Saturday at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
In addition to Miller's showing, Nabil Tezkratt earned a runner-up finish in the men’s 400 meters, while Ayumi Kobayashi was the third collegiate competitor to cross the finish line in the women’s 100-meter hurdles.
Combined with Ida Breigan’s silver-medal showing in the women’s long jump on Friday, the Roadrunners notched four top-three finishes during the two-day meet that served as the final tune-up for the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships in two weeks.
Miller took down the school record in the triple jump by the slimmest of margins, skipping to a wind-aided mark of 16.21 meters (53-2.25) to finish second overall and first among collegians. The All-American from Barbados bounced back from a foul on his first attempt with a mark of 15.23m (49-11.75) before improving to 15.72m (51-7) on his third leap. Following two more fouls in the finals, he touched the sand at his school-record distance on his final trip down the runway, narrowly beating the previous UTSA standard of 16.20m set by Devon Bond in 2010.
Tezkratt paced a strong one-two punch by the UTSA quarter-milers, as Mike Roth finished fourth. Tezkratt, who hails from England, clocked a season-best time of 46.53 for the silver, while Roth, a native of Canada, circled in 46.59 to give the Roadrunners two of the top four finishers. Tezkratt and Roth helped the Roadrunners win the 4x400m relay earlier this spring on this same oval with a 3:07.30 clocking at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays.
Kobayashi also registered a season-best time by clocking a wind-aided 13.41 in the 110m hurdles to place third among collegians and sixth overall. A native of Japan, she bettered her previous top overall time of 13.43 posted on April 11 at the Pacific Coast Invitational and it also marked an improvement from her previous wind-legal mark of 13.47 logged at the Texas Relays.
The UTSA men displayed speed in the men’s 100m, as Dennis Phillips and Brice Chabot finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in a windy race. Phillips clocked a 10.19 with the aid of a 4.2 meters-per-second tailwind, while Chabot posted a 10.20 with the same wind reading.
In one of the first events of the day, Michael Campbell nearly matched his personal best in the men’s hammer throw, tossing the implement to a distance of 55.42m (181-10) on his third attempt to place sixth overall and fifth among collegians. That mark ended up just shy of his PB of 55.86m (183-3) recorded at the UTSA Invitational in March.
In other field-event action, Jacob Jenkins placed fourth among collegians and fifth overall in the triple jump with a mark of 15.15m (49-8.5). In the shot put, Jabari Bennett turned in a season-best mark of 16.09m (52-9.5) for seventh place in the men’s competition, while Amaya King was ninth for the women with a 13.68m (44-10.75) measurement.
Back on the track, Victor Charo was the sixth collegian to cross in the men’s 800m with a time of 1:51.81, while Sarah Bell was ninth in the women’s race in 2:14.72. Lauren Roy sped to an 11.71 to finish ninth among collegians in the women’s 100m.
The Roadrunners will return home to host The American Outdoor Championships on May 10-12 at Park West Athletics Complex.
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