The men’s and women’s track & field teams will stay in Houston this weekend as they host the Carolyn and Ron Yokubaitis Invitational.
The Cougars are coming off the historic Mt. SAC Relays in Norwalk, California, where they had an excellent showing.
The Yokubaitis Invitational will give the Cougars one last chance to stretch their legs and look at anything they need to fix before traveling to the Penn Relays next week, one of the most prolific outdoor relays in the country.
Senior hurdler Issac Williams continued his success in the 110-meter hurdles elite division. Williams’ time of 13.43 is one of the fastest in school history and now a personal best. His freshman mentees Marcus McWilliams and Amere Lattin did not miss a beat in the 110-meter open. The duo continued its string of quality finishes by placing second and fourth respectively.
Freshman Brian Bell broke the 800-meter school record for the second time this season as he finished fourth in the event. Bell is on a hot streak and he aims to continue it all the way through nationals.
Senior sprinter LeShon Collins continued his successful transition to the outdoor 100-meter, claiming fourth at the event. Freshman Mario Burke just missed out on a top-five finish as well, only .03 seconds behind the fifth place finisher. Burke’s finish of 10.33 was still a personal best for him.
The men’s 4×100-meter relay team continued its success as well, claiming fourth in the invitational relay.
Junior thrower Alex Garza took home the third place prize in the shot put with a throw of 16.15 meters. Sophomore Felipe Valencia finished sixth in the elite division with a throw of 18.09 meters, third among college throwers.
On the women’s side, juniors Bria Carter and Mandy Nolan earned personal bests in the 100 and 200 meters, with Carter running a 11.58s while Nolan ran a 24.72s.
Regardless of finishes, the Cougars are showing they are a team that can compete and will be looking for a strong finish come the Penn Relays next week.