CLEMSON – Texas A&M sophomore Jazmine Fray set a collegiate record and chopped four seconds of her previous indoor school record to win the 800 meters at Clemson’s Tiger Paw Invitational in a time of 2 minutes, 0.69 seconds.

“We knew Jazmine was ready to run fast if the right situation came about,” stated Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry. “That situation was here today and she looked fantastic. To become the fastest collegian in the 800m is really special. Then she came back on the mile relay and split 51.9.”

Fray broke the Aggie school record with a 2:04.76 during the Razorback Invitational two weeks ago. Today, competing in a race with three-time NCAA 800m champion Natoya Goule pacing the field through 600m (1:29.32), Fray edged the previous collegiate record of 2:00.75 set in 2005 by Tennessee’s Nicole Cook and became just the third collegian to better 2:01 indoors.

“I just think it’s crazy, that’s not what I was striving for,” said Fray. “I wanted to run fast, I wanted to run 2:02 or 2:01. I didn’t even know what the collegiate record was going into the race. When I ran 2:00 I didn’t know I had broken the collegiate record.

“I have to thank Goule for a lot, because she really helped me out. After she came through 600m in 1:28, then I just tried to go as fast as I could over the last lap. Coach Francique had told me when Goule leaves the track you need to move. That’s exactly what I did.”

Splits for Fray included laps of 29.35, 29.61 (58.96 400m), 30.42 (1:29.38 600m), and 31.31. After a first 400m split of 58.96, Fray ran 61.73 for the second 400m. Runner-up to Fray were a pair of Clemson Tigers in Ersula Farrow (2:05.01) and Grace Barnett (2:07.91) with Alabama’s Kristyn Williams (2:07.99) in fourth.

“It’s really exciting and one of the first times that I’m genuinely really proud of myself,” noted Fray. “It was really special, and it was special to do it for my team. I looked to the side and the whole team was cheering for me. They’re standing up to watch me, they’re so excited and clapping. I feel like I did it for them.”

Later in the meet Fray split 51.99 as the third leg for the Aggie 4×400 relay, which won in a world-leading 3:29.74 that just missed the Texas A&M school record of 3:29.72 set in 2011 and anchored by Jessica Beard.

Jaevin Reed led off the relay in 53.02 and was followed by Danyel White’s 52.41. As Fray moved the Aggies into the lead over Alabama, Kadecia Baird anchored in 52.32 for the victory. Alabama set a school record of 3:30.10 in second place and had a 51.67 anchor leg from Domonique Williams.

The men’s 4×400 relay claimed another win, clocking 3:03.30 this time with the line-up of Fred Kerley (45.23), Robert Grant (46.26), Devin Dixon (46.20) and Mylik Kerley (45.61). It’s the fifth fastest time on the Aggie all-time indoor list and the second fastest time in 2017 behind Texas A&M’s collegiate record of 3:02.52.

Aggie freshman Dixon earlier won the men’s 800 in 1:47.85, moving him to No. 5 on the Texas A&M all-time list, as teammates JaQwae Dixon (1:49.08) and Efrain Hernandez (1:49.89) also set indoor career best times in placing sixth and ninth while moving to No. 8 and No. 9 positions on the school’s all-time list.

Dixon, who had 400m splits of 52.75 and 55.10 in his victory, passed three Clemson runners on the final homestretch of the race as he covered the last 200m lap in 27.65 seconds. Finishing behind Dixon were the Tiger trio of John Lewis (1:48.41), Terrell Jackson (1:48.50) and Mpho Makofane (1:48.84).

Jeffrey Prothro started off Saturday’s session with a win in the triple jump as he produced a season best of 51-10.5 (15.81). North Carolina’s Darryl Shaw (51-2.75) also surpassed 51 feet as runner-up.

Diamond Spaulding led a crew of Aggies in the women’s 200m as she topped the field of 52 sprinters with a 23.23, which bettered the facility record of 23.31 set by professional Joanna Atkins in January. Spaulding edged out Clemson’s Sabria Hadley (23.25) for the victory while Texas A&M teammate Brenessa Thompson won another section in 23.36 and placed third overall.

The rest of the Aggie crew in the 200m included Briyahna Desrosiers (23.42), Amber Ivy (23.62), and Jaevin Reed (23.66) placing sixth, seventh and eighth. In the men’s 200m Elijah Morrow (21.08) finished fifth and Jace Comick (21.47) was 10th.

Another Texas A&M victory came in the men’s 3,000m as Cameron Villarreal pulled away from the field to win in 8:11.51, moving him to No. 12 on the Aggie all-time list. Finishing behind Villarreal were Patrick Rohr (8:16.23) and Auburn’s Solomon Komen (8:28.28). In the women’s 3,000m a time of 10:06.40 placed Haley Deakins fifth.

Emily Gunderson had three solid attempts at equaling the pole vault school record of 13-11.25 (4.25) as she challenged for the win in the pole vault. Alabama’s Lakan Taylor won the event with a height of 13-5.25 (4.10) as Gunderson matched the height, but had one miss, to finish in second place.

Gunderson’s effort is the ninth best performance on the Aggie all-time indoor list and she now has collected four of the top 10 performances.

“The more shots I take at the school record the less nerve-racking it becomes, so hopefully I’ll get it one of these days,” said Gunderson, who set a career best of 13-8.5 (4.18) two weeks ago. “I had a couple of second attempts today, so I had to work a bit to reach the school record height.”

Teammates Sara Kathryn Stevens and Augusta Thomason both cleared 12-11.5 (3.95) to place third and fifth, respectively. A season best mark of 40-11 placed Cinyamon Stevenson fourth in the triple jump.

Jeff Bartlett had a mark of 56-11.5 (17.35) for seventh place in the shot put. Celine Markert finished seventh in the women’s shot put with a mark of 46-6.75 as Serena Brown placed ninth at 44-9.75.

A second women’s 4×400 crew clocked 3:39.39 to finish fourth overall with the foursome of Amber Ivy (54.61), Glorilisha Carter (54.08), Aaliyah Brown (56.11) and Diamond Spaulding (54.59). In the men’s 4×400 a second Aggie crew ran 3:11.78 to place sixth overall with a crew of Ilolo Izu (48.39), Elijah Morrow (46.57), Efrain Hernandez (48.96) and JaQwae Ellison (47.86).

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics