ABILENE – German natives Annina Brandenburg and Kai Schmidt Saturday each recorded lifetime bests in the shot put to cement themselves as the respective No. 1 throwers in the Southland Conference.
Brandenburg, a sophomore who hails from Düsseldorf, won the B section at the Texas Tech Classic with a launch of 14.88 meters (48 feet-10 inches) that moved her into third on the school's all-time top performer list. The only two Wildcats to rank ahead of her are varsity record holder Marlene Lewis (15.46m) and Liga Klavina (15.18m).
Brandenburg led the 12-woman competition from start to finish. She recorded a distance of 13.62m (44-08.25) on her first attempt and reached 14.88m on her second of six throws. Miami's Hannah Hall placed second with her distance of 14.25m (46-09.00), while Wildcat freshman Calyha Brown registered a four-foot improvement of 13.41m (44-0) to place seventh and senior Taylor Posey finished eighth (13.27m, 43-06.50).
Brandenburg's previous best of 14.44m (47-04.50) was recorded at the 2017 Southland Conference Indoor Championships, which earned her fourth-place points. Now she's currently the league leader by more than two feet over Stephen F. Austin's Mallory Dotson (14.24m, 46-08.75).
In the men's shot put competition, senior Kai Schmidt, a native of Krefeld, placed third behind Arizona All-America Jordan Geist (20.78m, 68-02.25) and USC's NCAA indoor qualifier Matthew Katnik (19.51m, 64-00.25). Schmidt sat fourth of eight competitors after two rounds, but managed to surpass Red Raider Eric Kicinski with a third-round launch of 18.84m (61-0.75).
Schmidt's throw kept him at No. 1 in the Southland Conference while moving him up to No. 20 in NCAA D1 rankings and No. 2 on the ACU performer list behind legendary All-America Nick Jones, whose varsity record of 19.02m (62-05.00) has stood since February of 2012.
Senior Morgan Knight placed seventh in the shot put with a toss of 15.42m (50-07.25), while in the B section, seniors Josh Hunter and Ryan Simmons placed first and fourth, respectively, with marks of 15.87m (52-0.75) and 14.46m (47-5.25).
ACU's lone win on the track was courtesy of senior Ryan Cleary, who led from start-to-finish to win the mile in 4:13.55. In the women's mile, sophomore Briahna Gerlach posted a seventh-place and PR of 5:08.15, and in the men's 4x400m relay the team of Avery Williams, Jared Williams, Ryan Linton and Blaze Brownlow recorded a two-second improvement over last season's best to record the 10th fastest time in ACU history.
This same quartet ran a 3:15.15 to place second at the 2018 Southland Conference Indoor Championships.
Additional PRs recorded Saturday included freshman Zoe Spinn's 1.72m (5-07.75) high jump and Seth Crockett's 2:02.09 in the 800m run.
The Wildcats return to action next Saturday, Feb. 2 for Oklahoma's J.D. Martin Invitational, and will return to Lubbock the weekend of Feb. 8-9 for the Texas Tech Shootout.
Saturday ACU Track and Field Results at Texas Tech Classic
Women's 200m
42.) Jamie Kennedy - 25.73
Women's Mile
7.) Briahna Gerlach - 5:08.15 (PR)
14.) Sarah Wagler - 5:27.74
Women's 3,000m
8.) Carnley Graham - 10:24.87
Women's 4x400m Relay
14.) Taylor Tolen, Karrington Lewis, Mya Henson, Megan Kirby - 3:55.95
High Jump
5.) Zoe Spinn - 1.72m (5-07.75) (PR)
Women's Long Jump
19.) Megan Kirby - 5.47m (17-11.50)
Women's Shot Put B Section
1.) Annina Brandenburg - 14.88m (48-10) (PR and third-ranked all-time ACU performer) | (No. 1 in Southland Conference)
7.) Calyha Brown - 13.41m (44-0) (PR)
8.) Taylor Posey - 13.27 (43-6.5)
Men's 800m
23.) Seth Crockett - 2:02.09 (PR)
Men's Mile
1.) Ryan Cleary - 4:13.55
12.) Denis Lagat - 4:27.12
Men's 3000m
19.) Conner Miller - 9:44.20
Men's 4x400m Relay
7.) Avery Williams, Jared Williams, Ryan Linton, Blaze Brownlow - 3:12.07 (10th fastest relay in ACU history)
17.) Le'Gari Daniels, Jamal January, Harrison Manuel, Cole Palka - 3:23.65
Men's Shot Put
3.) Kai Schmidt - 18.84m (61-09.75) (PR and second-ranked all-time performer) | (No. 20 in nation and No. 1 in Southland Conference)
7.) Morgan Knight - 15.42m (50-07.25)
Men's Shot Put B Section
1.) Josh Hunter - 15.87m (52-0.75)
4.) Ryan Simmons - 14.46m (47-5.25)
