Laura Barrios Bardi
USAO's A.J. Meyer leads the way during the OBU Invitational in Shawnee over the weekend.
USAO men’s and women’s track and field took on the OBU Invitational at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Okla. This track meet saw action over Friday, March 28, and Saturday, March 29, and saw a few athletes achieve their best personal records for this season.
The Drovers participated in shotput for their first event at the meet. Junior Laura Barrios Bardi led the way for the women as she achieved a personal best throw of 10.54 meters (34 feet 7 inches) and placed 15th overall. Junior Kyra Willet took 17th place after flinging the shotput 10.05 meters (32 feet 11.75 inches). Freshman Macey Crandall made her best throw in the season so far with 9.98 meters (32 feet 9 inches) and finished in 19th place. Freshman Luisa Talavera beat her previous best throw of this season by over a meter as she took 21st place and threw for 9.79 meters (32 feet 1.5 inches). Sophomore Alayna Nichols wrapped up the women’s team in shotput as she propelled the discus for 9.62 meters (31 feet 6.75 inches), which gave her 23rd place and her furthest throw of the season.
For the discus throw, Crandall led the women in this event after completing a throw of 27.84 meters (91 feet 4 inches). She took 25th place in the event while her teammate Barrios Bardi accomplished 26th overall after hurling the discus 27.25 meters (89 feet 5 inches).
Freshman Tanyaradzwa Mutura represented the Drovers in the long jump and earned 18th place after leaping 4.34 meters (14 feet 2.75 inches). Mutura also raced in the 100-meter dash and finished with a time of 14.62 seconds and 26th place overall. Her efforts in both of these events are the best she has had so far this season.
The men’s team saw the debut of their relay teams at OBU, as they participated in the 4 by 100-meter dash. This relay team consisted of senior Tyrike Cunningham, junior Hunter Dewall, Sophomore Daylen Huff, and Junior Omario Johnson. The team put together a performance that earned them 7th place overall with a time of 43.83 seconds.
Senior Quentin Pennells led the Drovers in the 100-meter dash after sprinting into 17th place with a season-best time of 10.8 seconds. Close behind him was Huff as he ended the dash in 11.2 seconds and placed 36th. Dewall rounded out USAO in this event as he completed his season-best run in 11.45 seconds and finished in 46th place.
In the 200-meter dash, Pennells also recorded the fastest time on the team and another season best performance. He burst himself into 10th place with a time of 22.08 seconds. Huff also competed in the event and concluded his run in 22.9 seconds for 22nd place. Dewall also had another season best performance in this event as he ran it in 23.53 seconds and took 39th place.
The 400-meter featured another USAO runner, with Cunningham paving the way with a time of 53.27 seconds and 33rd place.
Freshman Andries Meyer beat his season fastest time by seven-tenths of a second in the 800-meter dash. He concluded his run in 2.02.10 minutes and made 9th place overall.
The men’s team saw two throwers compete in shotput with freshman Mason Potter taking 12th place overall with a throw of 11.94 meters (39 feet 2 inches). Freshman Chayce Papp finished two spots behind Potter and launched the shotput 11.38 meters (37 feet 4.5 inches). Potter and Papp both accomplished their season-best throws for shotput at the OBU Invitational.
Potter also battled in the discus and placed 12th overall in this event after achieving a throw of 35.89 meters (117 feet 9 inches).
The Drovers will be back in action Friday, April 4 when they make the short trip to the John Jacobs Invitational in Norman.
Gary Jackson is a fourth-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
Ray Thomas-Lapham