Larson, Demas earn Southland weekly honors
4/20/2016 2:52:00 PM | Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
HUNTSVILLE – Entering the stretch run of its season, the Sam Houston State track and field is clicking at the right time, posting strong results on the west coast last weekend.
For their efforts, Sam Houston's Garrett Larson was named Southland Conference Men's Field Athlete of the Week and Danielle Demas earned the women's track athlete of the week, the league office announced on Wednesday.
Larson's accolade comes after taking the top spot collegiately and second overall in the pole vault at the famed Mt. SAC Relays. The junior's mark of 17 feet, 6 ½ inches ranks third in the conference to this point. The Brenham product also took sixth in the event (17 feet) at the Beach Invitational in Long Beach, Calif.
“Garrett has really grown into his own and matured,” head coach David Self said. “It's good for him to get on some big stages. He's got a great chance to make the NCAA Finals and be an All-American. That is one of the big four meets in the country. For him to win that and go to Long Beach the next day and still jump well tells you the level he is competing at.”
Meanwhile, Demas recorded four top-two finishes over the weekend, splitting time at the famed Mt. SAC Relays and the Beach Invitational. The Houston native took over the top spot in the Southland with a 13.15 in the 100-meter hurdles and was also part of a pair of first-place collegiate finishes, doing so in the 100-meter hurdles (13.40) and 4x100-meter relay (45.69) at the Mt. SAC Relays.
“It's another day at the office for Daniel,” Self said. “She ran 13.15, which is faster than she ran last year in the 100-meter hurdles. We are ahead of where we were last year. She ran 11.70 in the 100, the first time she had ever run it, so I think that shows what she can do at the conference meet as well.”
The Bearkats return to action on Saturday, visiting the Houston Invitational. The meet will be the final regular-season event leading into the Southland Conference Outdoor Championships, May 8-10 in Corpus Christi.
“We're feeling good,” Self said. “We're doing things to keep people focused. It's been a good year. It's that time of year where people really have to get after it. The day after Labor Day we started and we don't ever stop. The focus is the first step of the championship season. It doesn't matter what you did all year long, you've got to be able to do it at the end of the year.”
