CANYON, TEXAS – The UT Tyler track and field programs turned in a strong opening day performance at the Lone Star Conference Outdoor Championships on Thursday, highlighted by multiple finals qualifiers, school records, NCAA marks, and podium finishes as the Patriots scored points across several events.
UT Tyler advanced a number of athletes into Friday finals competition while also picking up its first conference medal of the weekend in the field events.
On the track, Aerin Thompson delivered one of the top performances of the day, qualifying first in the women's 200 meters after breaking the school record with a lifetime-best 23.22, a mark that currently ranks fifth nationally in NCAA Division II. Freshman Kaylee Monthie also advanced to the finals with a personal-best 24.23.
In the men's 200-meter prelims, Ashton Bates secured a spot in the finals with the fourth-fastest qualifying time at 21.04.
The Patriots also saw major success in the hurdle events as Brandon Arenas posted the top qualifying time in the men's 110-meter hurdles at 13.94, moving him into the top 20 nationally in Division II. Freshman Dameon Smith Jr. also advanced to the finals after running the third-fastest qualifying time.
In the women's 100-meter hurdles, both Isabel Jakobsen and Zakaiya Hunte advanced to the finals with lifetime-best performances of 14.21 and 14.28, respectively.
UT Tyler picked up points in the distance events as Austin Ponder finished fourth in the men's 10,000 meters with a time of 31:29.03, while Finley Hunting placed sixth in the women's 10,000 meters in 39:24.10.
In the field events, freshman Hunter Rivett became the Patriots' first Lone Star Conference medalist of the weekend after placing third in the men's hammer throw with a mark of 52.68 meters.
The women's hammer throw produced two more scoring performances as Jada Owens and Kaitlyn Johnson recorded lifetime-best throws of 51.55 meters and 51.36 meters to finish fifth and sixth, respectively.
Maren Ware added another scoring finish in the women's triple jump, placing fifth with a school-record and lifetime-best leap of 11.67 meters.
In the women's heptathlon, Juliane Frueh closed day one atop the standings with 3,270 points, holding a 149-point lead entering Friday's final events. Frueh opened the competition with a personal-best performance in the 100-meter hurdles before clearing 1.74 meters in the high jump, a mark that currently ranks among the top performances nationally in Division II.
UT Tyler returns to action Friday beginning at 10:30 a.m. as the Lone Star Conference Championships continue in Canyon, Texas.
