4x400m Blazes trail for Track and Field at Tech Shootout

ABILENE - Abilene Christian Track and Field this weekend sported 37 personal records and eight changes to the school's all-time performer list, but perhaps none was bigger than the effort of its men's 4x400-meter relay team, which recorded the program's first sub 3:10.00 mark since the 1998 NCAA DII Indoor Championships.

Matched up in a heat vs. Oklahoma State, BYU and Arizona, the Wildcat quartet of Avery Williams, Ryan Linton, Blaze Brownlow and Jared Williams posted the third fastest time in the ACU annals of 3:09.64. Their previous best of 3:12.07 was recorded on the same Texas Tech track in January of 2019.

The school record of 3:08.31 was set at the 1995 indoor national meet by Styles (48.0), Dilworth (47.1), Thomas (47.0) and Guy (46.2). Three years later the team of Prann (48.4), London (47.0), TenEyck (47.7) and Busby (46.4) ran a 3:09.46, but no other combination of Wildcats until Saturday ran under 3:10.

Senior Avery Williams led off with a 47.68 split. Linton followed with a 46.65, and then Brownlow and Jared Williams clocked splits of 47.36 and 47.96 to finish third in their heat (ahead of Arizona) and fifth overall among 20 teams.

Their time not only is No. 3 at ACU, but also 50th in the NCAA for this indoor season and second in the Southland Conference.

Linton additionally was stellar in the 200-meter dash, placing 13th (of 93 runners) with a PR of 21.37 thank ranks him fourth in the league and fifth all-time at ACU.

Other changes in the men's records book were made by freshmen Jeremy King and Jacob Mechler. King clocked a time of 8.19 in the 60m hurdles to rank eighth among all Wildcat performers, while Melcher's winning weight throw of 18.65 meters (61-02.25) moved him into fifth place. Mechler's mark also is the second best recorded in the Southland Conference this winter.

On the women's side, Taylor Tolen and Megan Kirby each PRd in a pair of events to alter ACU's performance lists. Tolen recorded respective times of 7.53 (5th) and 24.65 (7th) in the 60m and 200m dashes. Kirby, meanwhile, hit 8.70 (2nd) in the sprint hurdles and reached a long jump distance of 5.70m (18-08.50) that's the sixth best in the Southland.

Elsewhere in the jumps, sophomore Zoe Spinn reached a height of 1.76m / 5-9.25 that's the eighth-best performance at ACU and 37th in NCAA this season, and in the pole vault, Mackenzie West and Camille Ward jumped to No. 3 in the Southland with matching heights of 3.65m (11-11.75).

At Pittsburg State, ACU's distance squad registered 11 PRs led by freshman Irene Rono's 5K time of 18:50.35 that ranks her fifth in the Southland.
 

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ACU Results from Texas Tech Shootout
Men's 60m Qualifying
17. Ryan Linton – 7.02
19. Le'Gari Daniels – 7.06
 
Men's 200m
13. Ryan Linton – 21.37 (PR and fifth-best performance at ACU)
36. Addison Franklin – 22.09 (PR)
50. Le'Gari Daniels – 22.46
60. Harrison Manuel – 22.75
75. Jeremy King – 23.35
 
Men's 400m
15. Avery Williams – 47.84
25. Jared Williams – 48.37
61. Addison Franklin – 52.40
66. Gabe Laskey – 53.09 (PR)
 
Men's 600y
15. Cole Palka – 1:15.47 (PR)
20. Jimmie Horton – 1:18.41 (PR)
 
Men's 60m Hurdles Qualifying
3. Jeremy King – 8.19 (PR and eighth-best performance at ACU)
5. Jamal January – 8.31
10. Ryan Bornemeier – 8.45
15. Harrison Manuel – 8.51
22. Jimmie Horton – 8.66 (PR)
23. Ethan Christian – 8.66
27. Daniel Wheeler – 8.76 (PR)
42. AJ Brown – 9.30 (PR)
45. Gabe Laskey – 9.91 (PR)
 
Men's 60m Hurdles Semifinals
11. Jeremy King – 8.23
12. Jamal January – 8.31
 
Men's 4x400m Relay
5. Avery Williams, Ryan Linton, Blaze Brownlow, Jared Williams – 3:09.64 (Third-best performance at ACU; 50th in NCAA)
16. Ethan Christian, Jamal January, Ryan Bornemeier, Daniel Wheeler – 3:25.53
18. Jimmie Horton, Cole Palka, AJ Brown, Gabe Laskey – 3:28.77
 
Men's Pole Vault
4. Cole Newman – 4.94m / 16-02.50 (PR)
12. Ross Dean – 4.64m / 15-02.75
 
Men's Long Jump
6. Jamal January – 7.01m/ 23-0
8. Ethan Christian – 6.99m / 22-11.25 (PR)
18. Daniel Wheeler – 6.75m / 22-01.75
37. Cole Palka – 6.13m / 20-06.50
39. Riley Ellis – 6.08m / 19-11.50
 
Men's Shot Put
6. Tyler Richardson – 16.81m / 55-02.00
 
Men's Weight Throw Invite
9. Thomas Wilson – 15.83m / 51-11.25
 
Men's Weight Throw Open
1. Jacob Mechler – 18.65m / 61-02.25 (PR and fifth-best performance at ACU)
5. Tyler Richardson – 16.95m / 55-07.50 (PR)
 
Women's 60m Qualifying
4. Taylor Tolen – 7.55
9. Karrington Lewis – 7.72
30. Savannah Walker – 8.03 (PR)
 
Women's 60m Semifinals
11. Taylor Tolen – 7.53 (PR and fifth-best performance at ACU)
21. Karrington Lewis – 7.79
 
Women's 200m
21. Taylor Tolen – 24.65 (PR and seventh-best performance at ACU)
36. Savannah Walker – 25.09 (PR)
38. Karrington Lewis – 25.14
45. Mya Henson – 25.33
66. Irene Akwitti – 26.17
67. Megan Kirby – 26.20
93. Payton Wall – 28.12
 
Women's 400m
33. Noriyah Johnson – 57.20 (PR)
45. Rylee Jordan – 58.05 (PR)
57. Janae Phoenix – 59.87
58. Mya Henson – 1:00.04
 
Women's 600y
19. Julia Perry – 1:31.15 (PR)
 
Women's 800m
39. Soren Underwood – 2:33.32
 
Women's 60m Hurdles Qualifying
6. Irene Akwitti – 8.84
28. Amy Ambelang – 9.31
30. Julia Perry – 9.38 (PR)
35. Janae Phoenix – 9.79
41. Payton Wall – 10.42
 
Women's 60m Hurdles Semifinals
10. Megan Kirby – 8.70 (PR and second-best performance at ACU)
15. Irene Akwitti – 8.88
 
Women's 4x400m Relay
15. Savannah Walker, Taylor Tolen, Rylee Jordan, Noriyah Johnson – 3:52.10 (SB)
19. Payton Kirk, Megan Kirby, Janae Phoenix, Amy Ambelang – 3:56.29
 
Women's Pole Vault Open
9. Camille Ward – 3.65m / 11-11.75 (PR)
11. Mackenzie West – 3.65m / 11-11.75
15. Kenna Calliham – 3.50m / 11-05.75
 
Women's High Jump
3. Zoe Spinn – 1.76m / 5-9.25 (PR and eighth-best performance at ACU; 37th in NCAA)
12. Kyla Peeples – 1.61m / 5-03.25 (PR)
 
Women's Long Jump
16. Megan Kirby – 5.70m / 18-08.50 (PR)
23. Payton Kirk – 5.53m / 18-01.75
 
Women's Triple Jump
10. Ella Anttila – 12.15m / 39-10.50
 
Women's Shot Put
3. Annina Brandenburg – 15.50m / 50-10.25
 
ACU Results from Gorilla Classic
Men's 800m
29. Denis Lagat – 1:57.32
66. Seth Crockett – 2:01.21
 
Men's Mile
13. Denis Lagat – 4:18.25
54. Seth Crockett – 4:30.13 (PR)
65. Levi Chambers – 4:37.32 (PR)
 
Men's 3,000m
40. Levi Chambers – 8:57.08 (PR)
48. Daniel Campos – 9:06.82 (PR)
55. Conner Miller – 9:12.55
 
Men's 5,000m
40. Conner Miller – 15:31.32 (PR)
46. Gabriel Trevino – 15:40.99 (PR)
58. Colton Gates – 16:01.23
 
Women's 3000m
17. Grace White – 10:23.29 (PR)
19. Sarah Wagler – 10:23.69 (PR)
 
Women's 5,000m
15. Irene Rono – 18.50.35 (PR)
33. Loren Rivera – 19:40.24 (PR)
35. Lindsey White – 19:50.96 (PR)