AUSTIN – The UT Arlington track and field team began its run at the 94th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays on Wednesday with Jade Bontke participating in a quartet of heptathlon events and setting personal records in two of them inside Mike A. Myers Stadium
 
Competing in the heptathlon for the first time in the young outdoor season, Bontke commenced her morning by clocking a 14.92 in the 100m hurdles to notch 852 points.
 
Next up was the high jump, and Bontke delivered a personal best by clearing 1.74m (5-8 ½) to finish in a tie for 2nd place and collect 903 points. The Hillsboro native got over her first bar – 1.59m (5-2 ½) – on her second attempt, and after that she cleared the next five heights all on her first jump.
 
One of only three competitors left at the 1.77m (5-9 ¾) bar, Bontke was looking to extend her PR – which was 1.72m (5-7 ¾) at the Sun Belt Conference Championships last year – but she was unable to get over on three attempts. Still, the 1.74m (5-8 ½) mark is the 3rd-best in the Sun Belt this outdoor season and currently the 10th-best in the West Region.
 
Bontke's next PR came in the shot put with a first-attempt throw of 11.52m (37-9 ½) which stood up as her best of the competition and blew past her previous personal best mark of 10.43m (34-2 ¾) by more than three feet. The delivery yielded 629 more points.
 
In her final event of the day, Bontke crossed in 24.85 (-2.5 m/s) in the 200m to finish in 6th place and garner 901 points.
 
That moved Bontke to 3,285 total points after four events of the heptathlon as she resides in 8th place overall entering Thursday's events of the long jump, javelin throw and 800m.
 
While Bontke led UTA off on Wednesday, things start to ramp up for the Mavericks – who in total will be featured in more than 20 events – on Thursday. Live broadcast coverage starts at 6 p.m. on The Longhorn Network, with live results available all day via relays.texassports.com.

The heptathlon wraps up Thursday, with most distance events taking place later that evening. The sprint prelims begin on Friday morning with finals scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Field events will be scattered from Thursday through Saturday. For the full list of UTA competitors and the schedule of their events, click here.

FOLLOW ALONG
Follow the UTA track and field and cross country teams on Twitter (@UTAMavsTFXC), Instagram (@UTAMavsTFXC) and Facebook (/UTAMavsTFXC).