Kats close Day 1 at SLC Indoor
2/25/2019 6:48:00 AM | Track & Field
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Sam Houston State Bearkats picked up an individual title and wrapped up their first day of action at the Birmingham CrossPlex in prime position for Monday's finals at the Southland Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Joshua Hernandez was the only Bearkat to top the podium on the first day of competition, winning the men's weight throw with a throw of 64-2.9 feet. That added to Sam Houston's mens total of 28 points, positioning them in third place going into Day 2. Southeastern Louisiana leads the competition with 45 points while Stephen F. Austin is next with 33.5 points.
On the women's side, the Kats sit in a tie for fifth with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with 24 points after the first day. SFA, McNeese, Lamar and Abilene Christian make up the remainder of the top of the standings.
Some notable performances from the first day of competition: Freshman Jo'vaughn Martin and Chris Jefferson competed in the preliminaries for the 60-meter dash. Martin recorded his fastest time in the event (6.67) and Jefferson finished fourth with a time of 6.71. Both athletes placed first and second in the 200-meter preliminary race. The pair were joined by teammates Lawrence Coleman and Eric Callaway (season-best 21.70) in the top-8 qualifiers for Monday's final race.
Sophomore Selena Wright finished second in the 60-meter hurdle preliminaries with a time of 8.60, which is her fastest of the season. Fabian McCall and Joshua Smith both finished in the top five for the men's 60-meter hurdle and will compete for final times on Monday.
Day two action begins Monday morning at 9 a.m. with the 60m hurdles portion of the men's heptathlon. Field event finals will resume at 10 a.m., while running events begin at 11 a.m. with the women's 60m hurdles finals. For a full schedule of events, click here.
The 2019 Southland Indoor Track & Field Championships will be streamed on the Southland Digital Network. Visit southland.org/live or download the Southland Conference app, available for iPhone, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku.
