Track & field head coach Darryl Anderson said in a TCU Athletics release that even though the TCU relay teams had some quality performances at Saturday’s Texas Relays, one of the largest tournaments in the nation, the teams still need to keep working to get better.
The men and women’s 4X100 teams and men’s distance medley relay team earned top-five finishes on the final day of the 84th running of the Texas Relay’s held at the University of Texas Mike A. Myers Track and Soccer Stadium
Senior sprinter Jessica Young, who already leads the nation in the 100-meters time, added some distance to her record Saturday.
“I thought we were solid again today,” Anderson said in the release. “I was obviously happy with Jessica Young getting third in the 100-meter invitational race. I thought our men’s 4X100 team getting fifth place and running 39.38 was good to see for where we are right now in April.”
Young led all collegiate sprinters in the final heat of the women’s 100-meter invitational by placing third overall with a seasonal best time of 11.12 seconds.
Junior Cameron Parker left Austin as the best triple jumper in the Mountain West Conference after jumping a 51-9 1/4.
All in all, Anderson said he thought it was a respectable day for the team.
“I’m pleased with our work, but we’ve still got to get better,” Anderson said in the release. “When you start feeling like you don’t have to get better, you’ve got a problem.”
Anderson also said in the release he wants the team to be running a lot faster come June, because that is when it’s really going to count.
Freshman Franchelle Hill, freshman Veronica Jones, junior Whitney Gipson and Young finished first among collegiate entries and second overall in the women’s 4×100 invitational with a 44.49 time — a season best for the track & field program. The time matched a seasonal best for the Horned Frogs. The Frogs also recorded the fastest time in the Mountain West Conference, while also ranking in the top 20 in the NCAA.
Rounding out TCU’s male competitors, junior OJ Stoneham, junior Mark Barnes, senior Mychal Dungey and sophomore Charles Silmon boasted ran a seasonal-best time of 39.38 seconds to finish fifth overall in the Clyde Littlefield 4X100 relay. Texas A&M beat out Louisiana State University to win the event with the fastest time in the nation of 38.71 seconds.
“This weekend really mirrors the first round of the NCAA meet for us, because it’s going to be all of the same teams,” Anderson said in the release. “It was good [University of Southern California] and [University of Arizona] were there this weekend because those are teams that we needed to see on the track and race against.
“We just need to keep moving forward. I thought this was a very productive weekend for us.”
Junior Jack O’Brien, freshman Narada Jackson, senior Sean Zurko and senior Festus Kigen ran the third fastest men’s distance time in program history with a 9:50.66. The team placed third overall out of 16 men’s distance relay teams.
TCU’s women’s 4X400 squad, consisting of sophomore Quinterra Charles, senior Kristal Juarez, freshman Briyanni Thomas and Young finished sixth overall with a seasonal-best time of 3:34.87.
In the women’s shot put, sophomore Kelsey Samuels placed ninth overall with a throw of 51-1 3/4.
Up next
The track & field program will split up this weekend, with most of the team traveling to Florida to compete at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. The rest of the squad will travel to Walnut, Calif., to compete at the Mt. Sac Relays.