News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The Texas A&M men’s track & field team won the program’s first SEC Indoor Championships title, in a final-race thriller Saturday evening at the R.A. ‘Murray’ Fasken ’38 Indoor Track & Field facility.
The Aggie men sealed their first SEC indoor title at home, as the men’s 4x400m relay anchored by Kimar Farquharson came down the Fasken straight to ensure the team’s win. A&M’s men concluded the championships with 107.5 points and nine medals, including five gold, three silver and one bronze.
The 4x400m quartet consisting of Auhmad Robinson, Cutler Zamzow, Antonie Nortje and Farquharson won the Maroon & White’s final medal of the championships with a time of 3:03.09. The group was in the mix from the gun thanks to Robinson’s crafty opening leg (46.92), and Zamzow opened some daylight for the team, running the fastest second leg of all teams in 45.37. Nortje maintained the gap with a leg of 45.60 and Farquharson brought it home in 45.22 for the win.
In a loaded 400m final for the Aggies, the group captured 21 points as Robinson won his first title of the day, claiming gold with a season-best time of 45.07, which ranks third in the NCAA this season. Nortje took fourth with a time of 46.03 and Hossam Eddine Hatib went 46.08 to take fifth. Zamzow rounded out the point scoring with a seventh-place finish, going 46.28.
Sam Whitmarsh added A&M’s second gold medal of the day, as he defended his indoor 800m title with a time of 1:47.69, which secured his third-straight 800m victory across the last three conference championships indoor and outdoor. Farquharson also added crucial points in the event, placing seventh in 1:50.24.
Cooper Cawthra added to his medal collection on the weekend, as he followed up his title in the distance medley relay with a silver medal in the mile. The senior kicked from fifth all the way to second around the final lap, bringing it home in 4:03.23 narrowly at the line to secure his first individual conference medal. Luca Santorum came up clutch for the team, as he finished just outside the medals in fifth with a mark of 4:06.44.
Stacking momentum on the track was Ja’Qualon Scott in the 60m hurdles, the school-record holder once again lowered his all-time mark as he crossed the line in a blistering 7.51 seconds. The time secured his second-straight SEC indoor silver medal and ranks him No. 4 in the country this season.
Prior to the final relay of the meet, Gavin Champ delivered in the men’s triple jump to maintain the lead entering the final race. He leapt 15.93m/52-3.25 on his first attempt which held true throughout all six rounds to place fifth in the event.
The women wrapped up their championships in fifth place, as the group accumulated 47.33 points throughout the three days of competition and added one gold, silver and bronze medal to their total on the final day.
Winny Bii led the team from the field on the day, as she captured the women’s triple jump title in her first SEC Championships since joining the Aggies. She leapt 15.79m/45-3 on her first attempt which held throughout the event for the gold.
Camryn Dickson added the women’s second medal of the day on the oval, as the junior raced in the final heat of the 200m and crossed the line in a personal-best time of 22.86, which moved her up to No. 5 in the A&M record books and secured her first individual conference medal. Jasmine Montgomery also added points for the women in the event after crossing the line in 23.00 which was good for sixth.
Jaiya Covington was another member of the team to win her first SEC medal, finishing third in a competitive women’s 60m hurdles final after crossing the line in 8.05.
The women ended their championships on the track, as the 4x400m relay team of Dickson, Montgomery, Latasha Smith and Jermaisha Arnold placed fifth with a season-best time of 3:28.43 to move into the top-10 nationally in the event.
A&M kept stacking results in the mile final, as Debora Cherono added points with a seventh-place finish, going 4:42.80, and Elise Smoot clocked in at 4:47.30 to place ninth.
Heather Abadie contributed to the women’s team point total, as she tied for eighth in the pole vault with a clearance of 4.11m/13-5.75.
Megan Roberts rounded out the scoring for the group, crossing the line eighth in the 3,000m in 9:17.14 to ensure points for the women in two events at the meet.
With the men’s team claiming first and the women’s team concluding the meet in fifth, both squads secured the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown trophy as they placed higher than the Longhorns in the team standings.
Next Up
The Aggies prepare for the indoor season finale at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Virginia, March 14-15, at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.