ARLINGTON, Texas – The UT Arlington track & field team opened the 2026 outdoor season by hosting the UT Arlington Invitational on Saturday. The Mavericks recorded eighteen first place finishes and over 20 top three finishes.
UTA saw strong results in the field events, highlighted by a clean sweep in the men's long jump. Bryce Vaughn led the Mavericks with a first-place mark of 6.81 meters, while Abisayo Gbakino placed second (6.74m) and Christian Coker finished third (6.61m).
In the women's long jump, Arieanna Mcpeak earned first place with a jump of 6.01 meters, while Eliza Lemberga finished second at 5.63 meters.
The Mavericks also found success in the discus. Alana Butler captured first place in the women's competition with a personal-best throw of 46.28 meters, while Azaryah Jackson placed second with a mark of 43.44 meters. On the men's side, Lucas Cano recorded a mark of 53.74 meters, moving him into fourth all-time UTA for men's outdoor discus. Hayden Wilson placed third with a throw of 47.55.
UTA continued its momentum in the jumps as Lemberga claimed first in the women's high jump, clearing 1.60m, while Grace Bettencourt finished second at 1.55m. The Mavericks also swept the men's high jump podium, with Miles Jones taking first place (1.95m), Christian Coker finishing second (1.90m) and Jonathan Williams placing third (1.90m)
The Mavericks swept the top three spots in the women's pole vault as well. Simona Cabella won the event with a mark of 3.80 meters, while Sophia Allen finished second (3.35m) and Ava Lin placed third (3.35m). In the men's pole vault, Ethan Saenz took first place with a personal-best clearance of 5.05 meters and Noah Matthews finished second with a mark of 4.80 meters.
Mcpeak also earned gold in the women's triple jump with a personal-best jump of 12.53 meters, while Camryn Clark placed third with a mark of 11.23 meters. In the men's shot put, Isaiha Pena secured first place with a throw of 15.79 meters. Gbakino added another event victory for UTA by winning the men's triple jump with a jump of 14.77m.
On the track, the Mavericks opened the running events with strong relay performances. The men's 4x100-meter relay team of Josh Sinclair, Eli England, Donal Martin and Jayden Blakey (40.95).
In the distance events, Angel Sanchez won the men's 1500 meters in 3:59.98, while Toby Eaton placed second with a time of 4:00.42. Abigail Perez finished second in the women's 1500 meters with a personal-best time of 4:50.35.
UTA also saw strong sprint performances. Indyia Walton won the women's 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.10, while Lemberga finished third in 14.49. Devin Payne earned first place in the men's 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.96.
Alexis Cain got second in the women's 100 meters in 11.64. England also placed second in the men's 100 meters with a time of 10.52.
In the 400 meters, Kayan Green (58.10) and Jayden Haynes (48.20) captured second place. Todd Young earned third place in the 400m (49.56)
UTA also saw success in the middle-distance races. Emilia Mandl won the women's 800 with a time of 2:11.88, while Linn Adolfsson captured second at 2:16.50. Alex Kalmar won the men's 800-meters in 1:50.67, while Leo LeGrand placed second with a time of 1:52.41.
In the hurdles and sprint events, Walton placed third in the women's 400-meter hurdles in 1:07.55, while Payne recorded a personal best time of 54.57, earning second place in the men's 400-meter hurdles. Andrei Fuentes followed behind him in third at 55.18. Cain added another victory for the Mavericks in the women's 200 meters, finishing in 23.56.
UTA capped the day with first and third place finishes in both the men's and women's 4x400-meter relays. The women's A relay team of Green, Walton, Mandl and Cain placed first in 3:50.12, while the B team of Morgan Wallace, Adolfsson, Kali Todman and A'Myiah Johnson finished third in 4:06.27.
On the men's side, the A relay team of England, Jackson Cichon, Haynes and Kalmar took first in 3:18.49, while the B relay team of Collin Woodside, Hudson Irvine, LeGrand and Young finished third in 3:20.09.
THOUGHTS FROM COACH
"Arieanna and Lucas really stood out!" said Sauerhage, "It was a good start to the outdoor season overall and, our freshmen continue to excel and give us solid performances from both squads."
NEXT UP
The Mavericks will travel to Fort Worth for the TCU Alumni Invitational, set to take place Friday, March 20-Saturday, March 21.
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