Men's Track & Field | 3/26/2022 9:29:00 PM

SHAWNEE, Okla. - The Oklahoma Panhandle State men's and women's track team competed in this years Oklahoma Baptist Invite. 

Day 1

 Zoe Salazar started out the breezy day placing 5th in the women's javelin and then coached Xavier Starks to a PR throw of 40.37m.  Once the lights came on it was time to step on the track for the men's and women's 800m.  Lady Aggies Patti Gray and Abbey Goode both stepped on the track running a personal best followed by the the Aggie men, led by freshman Colby Perez (2:02), Arturo Vallejo, Arturo Lozano, and Cameron Chatman (unattached).  A new race on the track for the Aggies was the men's 3000m steeplechase; distance runner Justin Duran (unattached) endured the water jumps to put the first time in the books for the Aggies.  Rounding out the night was the women's 1500m, where freshman Bonita Gray ran a PR of 5:18.99.  Tomorrow the Aggies will compete in an array of races on the track where the highlight will be the men's and women's 4x400m relays. 

Day 2

  Day 2 of the Bison Invitational was chocked full of personal bests for the Aggies.  Starting the day off strong in the women's 400m dash was freshmen Jamiah Clay and Azucena Carrillo placing 7th and 8th setting the bar high and each scoring a PR.  Also gaining speed and knocking off time in the women's 400m was Zoe Salazar and Abbey Goode.  The men's 400m did not let down when Chris Lewis smashed his time from last week in Colorado to set his own PR.  Xavier Starks stepped to the line next, setting a personal best for the second day in a row running a great 800m race setting him up to be an asset later in the season in the 4x800m relay.  Rounding out the sprints for the day was Willie McCline setting his own PR's in the 100m and the 200m.
     Panhandle distance crew is putting in 50-60 miles a week working to gain ground in the 5,000 and 10,000m runs.  Chasing developed distance programs is a process that does not happen in a season, but Yvonne Landeros, Clarice Cain (unattached), and Carlos Flores are gaining knowledge and cutting time weekly as they all did Saturday in the 5,000m.  
    As the sun began to set the Aggies were stepping on the track for the last time to set more PR's in the 4x400 relay.  The lady Aggie freshmen crew came out guns blazing ready to make a name for themselves.  A relay of Jamiah Clay, Bonita Gray, Patti Gray, and Azucena Carrillo set their sights high and knocked 5 seconds off of their last time to take place 6th.  The men's, also freshmen heavy, 4x400m relay kept the adrenaline pumping finishing out the Aggie personal bests for the meet. Chris Lewis, Arturo Lozano, Arturo Vallejo, and Colby Perez all cut time to collectively set the new Aggie 4x400m PR. 
    "It felt good to be on 'home turf' and relax and get the job done this weekend.  We have a long way to go and we are still learning our races, but dropping time each week means we are doing something right."  The Aggies will head to Wichita to compete at Friends University next weekend, April 1-2.