BIRMINGHAM, ALA. – The UT Tyler track & field teams delivered an impressive showing at the Samford Open, stacking up podium finishes, top-10 marks, and a school record against a deep and competitive field inside the Birmingham CrossPlex.
The day was highlighted on the women's side by a dominant performance in the 5,000 meters, where Adison Richard claimed first place out of 16 competitors with a winning time of 18:05.46. Richard controlled the race from the early stages and closed strong to secure one of the Patriots' victories of the meet. She was joined on the podium by teammate Giselle Alejandro, who finished second in 18:30.03, giving UT Tyler a 1-2 finish in the event.
In the women's field events, Jada Owens placed seventh out of 39 competitors in the shot put with a mark of 12.12 meters, while Alesha Jackson cleared 1.50 meters to finish ninth out of 25 in the high jump.
The women's track events featured several strong finishes across multiple distances. Kamaria Carr posted a fourth-place finish out of 48 in the 400 meters, clocking 55.53, while Kaylee Monthie added a top-10 finish with a time of 57.59. In the sprints, Aerin Thompson continued her strong form by finishing second out of 60 in the 200 meters at 24.68, with Brandi Drake (7th, 25.26) and Kymia Woodard (8th, 25.42) also placing inside the top eight. Isabel Jakobsen narrowly missed qualifying for the finals in the 60-meter hurdles, finishing ninth out of 34 in the prelims, just one spot shy. The women's 4x400 relay team of Nina Allmark, Zakaiya Hunte, Kaylee Monthie, and Elizabeth Harrison capped the day with a third-place finish in 3:59.11.
On the men's side, UT Tyler produced standout efforts in both the field and distance events. In the shot put, Kaden Adams (15.40m) and Robert Myers (15.35m) finished ninth and tenth, respectively, out of 39 throwers. Andres Rios led the distance group with a third-place finish in the 5,000 meters (15:16.89), followed by Kevin Velazquez in sixth (15:36.98).
The highlight for the men came in the mile, where David Soto set a new school record by winning the event out of 50 runners with a time of 4:08.15. Kason Miles added a ninth-place finish in 4:17.44. Brandon Arenas qualified for the finals in the 60-meter hurdles and finished fifth overall with an 8.17. Chris Kopecky placed fourth in the 800 meters (1:53.84), while the men's 4x400 relay team finished second in 3:15.08 to close out a successful meet and weekend for the Patriots.
The Patriots track & field program will be back in action next week with the Rumble in the Jungle meet on Friday in Pittsburg, Kansas.
