Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
The Louisiana Tech track and field team set five program top 10 marks and took home eight event wins at the Jim Mize Invitational at the Jim Mize Track and Field Complex on Saturday.
The Bulldogs opened the day sweeping the gold medals in the javelin. Tucker McCoy picked up his first win in a Tech uniform with a throw of 54.11m on his final attempt. Also on her final attempt, Maria Ferreiro Pena, a 2024 NCAA East Regional qualifier, won on the women’s side with a 41.43m to move past teammate Annie Jones, who finished second at 41.09m.
The first top 10 mark came on the second event of the day. Donald Lamp, the program’s record holder in the hammer, now holds the top two marks after a throw of 59.78m.
A’riel Williams continues to write her name all over the record book. The sophomore jumped over 1.76m for the fourth time in her career during the outdoor season. After tying the third-highest mark in program history, Williams attempted to become the first Bulldog to jump over 1.8m. She would come up just short on 1.81, with the bar just falling on her final attempt.
Kaitlyn Washington had triple duty in the field events with the shot put, hammer and discus. The junior finished third in the shot put with a throw of 12.98m. She went straight to the hammer and finished second at 46.15m before winning gold in the discus. Washington’s throw of 51.03m moves her into eighth on the program’s all-time list.
Nikboy Johnson, Abdulraof Rashid, Sabastian Bradley-Reed and Valentino Rudolph took home the top spot with the 36th fastest time in the country in the 4×100 at 39.71.
Kimeone McLeod and Oscar Smith swept the short-distance hurdles. McLeod ran a 13.49 in the 100m hurdles, and Smith had 13.61 in the 110m.
The 400m indoor program record holder, Sabastian Bradley-Reed nearly put his name atop the outdoor record. The junior recorded the 27th fastest time in the NCAA Division 1 this season at 46.04.
Abdulraof Rashid was one of three athletes to break the facility record in the 100m. The transfer ran a 10.30 for the 20th fastest time in the nation this season but would finish third in the meet.
In just her third collegiate meet and second time running the 3000, Delaney Lopez had the fifth fastest time in program history at 11:00.14.
