Grigsby, Jenkins earn weekly Southland honors
1/27/2016 3:25:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
For the third time in as many weeks, the Sam Houston State track and field team has claimed multiple Southland Conference weekly honors as sophomore Camry Grigsby earned women's track athlete of the week and senior Ashley Jenkins was named women's field athlete of the week, the league office announced on Wednesday.
The accolades follow the Bearkats second straight top team finish, with Sam Houston breaking six school records at New Mexico's Cherry & Silver Invitational, including Jenkins becoming the nation's top weight thrower with a toss of 71 feet, ½ inch, and in turn, capturing her third straight league honor.
In the 800 meters, Grigsby bested Alyssa Dooley's mark that has stood since 2013, with an altitude-converted time of 2:10.81. The feat places the DeSoto product No. 42 nationally and tops in the Southland Conference.
“She was a little disappointed with how the outdoor season ended last year and used that as motivation through the summer and fall,” endurance coach Jesse Parker said. “She's really mature for a sophomore and is serious about her running.”
“I talked with her before we went to New Mexico and told her what the school record was and how close she was to getting it. I told her it wasn't a matter of if but when, so we said let's just get this done this week.”
On Monday, the Bearkat women vaulted 73 spots from their USTFCCA preseason ranking to place No. 33 nationally, good enough for fourth in the state. The ascent was the third largest, behind only Tennessee State's movement up 93 spots at Georgia Tech's 90 spots.
Sam Houston will visit the University of Houston on Friday and Saturday in its final regular-season meet. The Southland Conference Indoor Championships take place Feb. 14-15 at the Birmingham Crossplex in Birmingham, Ala.
“We speak of it a little as a staff,” Parker said of the program's success. “I personally feel like it's more of an unspoken thing. Everyone can see it, kind of like a no-hitter in baseball, where everyone knows what's happening but doesn't want to speak about it. You can feel it and we've got to keep taking it one week at a time and keep going.”
