News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
VIRGINIA BEACH – Texas A&M’s Jaiya Covington won the women’s 60m hurdles national title on the final day of the NCAA Indoor Championships Saturday at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. The women’s team finished the meet in seventh with 27 points, while the men placed 10th with 20 points.
The Aggies concluded their indoor campaign with a pair of top-10 finishes at the national championships. The women’s day was highlighted by Covington’s 60m hurdle crown, as she became the first member of the Maroon & White to win the national title in the event, while the group as a whole capped the final day with another nine First Team and six Second Team All-America honors.
Following her school-record performance (7.94) in Friday’s 60m hurdle prelims, Covington delivered on expectations as the No. 1 seed in the final as she won the first national title of her career. Running out of lane four, the junior stayed with the pack through the opening three hurdles, however she forged some separation on the final two and with a dip at the line lowered her own school record again with a time of 7.90 to win the event by 0.01 seconds.
Kickstarting the point scoring for the men was the 400m duo of Auhmad Robinson and Antonie Nortje. Robinson topped the opening heat of the event, leading from start to finish and crossed the line in 45.54 to finish third overall. Nortje logged a seventh-place result in the event, running out of heat two as the pair accounted for eight points to the team total. The duo both claimed First Team All-America status, which marks the sixth for Robinson at A&M and first for Nortje while donning the Maroon & White.
Winny Bii kept the momentum rolling for the women’s team shortly after Covington’s title, as she placed fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 13.63/44-8.75. Bii’s result ensured her First Team All-America status and secured four points for the team. On the men’s side of the triple jump, Gavin Champ finished 11th overall with a leap of 15.70m/51-7.75 to garner Second Team All-America status.
The women’s 4x400m relay added the final points of the championships for the group, as the quartet of Camryn Dickson, Jasmine Montgomery, Latasha Smith and Jermaisha Arnold won the second heat of the event and finished fifth overall with a time of 3:30.06. The group secured four points for the women and First Team All-America status.
Wrapping up the scoring on the men’s side was Ja’Qualon Scott in the 60m hurdles, as the junior crossed the line seventh with a time of 7.57 to secure the fifth First Team All-America honor of his A&M career.
Blake Harris concluded his heptathlon campaign, as he finished the final day of the event with 5,659 points which was good for 11th. Harris’ second day started in the 60m hurdles, where he placed third in 7.92, he followed that up with 12th in the pole vault (4.57m/15-0) and seventh in the 1,000m (2:48.64). The juniors’ final ranking secured him Second Team All-America status which marks the first of his career.
Next Up
The Aggies shift their attention to the outdoor season, where they open their campaign at the UTSA Invitational in San Antonio, Texas, March 21-22.