AUSTIN, Texas – Day one of the Texas Invitational hosted by the University of Texas started with two throwing events, three field events and 10 track events that saw several Mavericks compete.
This is the final regular season meet for the Mavs before the 2024 Outdoor Western Athletic Conference Championships.
"Good first day with some solid performances," said head coach
John Sauerhage. "We are staying healthy headed into the WAC Championships."
The meet kicked off with the women and men's long jump events that saw
McKinley Novacek and
Marvin Walford both leap their second-best mark of the outdoor season. Novacek finished with a leap of 5.30m while Walford finished with a distance of 6.75m. Walford's teammates
Tobi Adefusi and
Brady Shadrick were right behind him, with Adefusi jumping an outdoor personal best of 6.67m and Shadrick leaping an outdoor season's best of 6.66m.
In the women's pole vault,
Simona Cabella finished tied for 4th with a vault of 3.85m, which she cleared on her first attempt. It's tied for her third best mark of the outdoor season.
Junior
Austin Nkwoparah finished 7th in the men's discus throw, coming in with a throw of 50.24m. It's his third best mark of the outdoor season.
Joey Haws tossed it 45.24m, his fourth best mark during outdoors.
In a crowded field in the women's 200m dash, the Mavs had two top 15 finishes with another falling just outside the top 15, in an event with over 50 sprinters.
Alexis Cain finished with the 12th fastest time, a mark of 23.64 which is a new outdoor personal best for Cain. The time now has Cain with the fastest 200m mark in the WAC. Teammate
Madison Pippins was right behind her, finishing 13th with a time of 23.78.
Adeyemi Talabi finished 16th overall with a time of 23.93.
In the men's 200m dash,
Khalid Mendez finished 14th overall with a time of 21.13 which is his second fastest time of the outdoor season.
DaVontay Kennedy finished with his second fastest time of outdoors, clocking in at 21.33.
Javaris Bonner ran a time of 21.47 which was also his second fastest time of the outdoor season.
The final day of the Texas Invitational begins at 9 a.m. with the women's hammer throw.
– #BuckEm –
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