JONESBORO, Ark. (3/19/21) – 650 days.
That's how long it has been since Arkansas State track and field athletes competed outdoors. The long wait ends Saturday, as A-State sends 13 athletes to Fort Worth, Texas, for the TCU Invitational.
The meet, held at TCU's Lowdon Track and Field Complex, is set to commence at 9:30 a.m. CT with the women's discus throw. While it is closed to spectators, live results can be found here.
TEAMS COMPETING: Arkansas State, North Texas, Northwestern State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU (host), UT Arlington
OUTDOOR DEBUTS: Of the 13 A-State athletes traveling to Fort Worth (5 women, 8 men), six are set to make their first appearances on the outdoor track for the Red Wolves: Chastery Fuamatu, Ty Graser, Bradley Jelmert, Aimar Palma Simo, Marie Reed and Trace South. Reed competed outdoors for Southern Arkansas in 2019 and 2020 prior to the stoppage of competition, throwing in the hammer throw, javelin and shot put.
RECORD WATCH: Some of those debuts feature seed marks that would rank near the top of the A-State record books. Palma Simo begins his collegiate outdoor career with a mark of 65.18m (213-10.0) in the hammer throw, set in 2019 in Madrid, Spain. That mark would rank second in program history.
Grace Flowers enters the outdoor season third all-time outdoors in the hammer throw with a mark of 57.33m (188-1.0), third in the shot put (15.23m | 49-11.75) and fourth in the discus throw (52.90m | 173-7.0).
Indoor pentathlon champion Allie Hensley enters with an indoor-best 1.78m (5-10.0) in the high jump. If she clears that mark, she will tie for fifth in the outdoor high jump.
DEFEND THE CROWN: The 2020 Sun Belt Outdoor Championships were not contested, so A-State's women are set to begin the road to their title defense after winning in 2019.
UP NEXT: After returning from Fort Worth, the Red Wolves will compete again after spring break, traveling to Birmingham, Alabama, for the UAB Spring Invite.
SOCIAL MEDIA: For the latest on the A-State track and field program, follow @AStateTrack on Twitter and @Arkansas_State_Track on Instagram, while also liking the team's Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateTrackAndField.
| A-STATE AT THE TCU INVITATIONAL |
SATURDAY, MARCH 20
Women's Discus Throw (9:30 a.m.) – Babette Vandeput, Chastery Fuamatu, Evangelynn Harris, Grace Flowers
Men's Discus Throw (after women) – Eron Carter, Eric Williams
Women's High Jump (11:00 a.m.) – Allie Hensley
Women's Hammer Throw (11:30 a.m.) – Grace Flowers, Marie Reed, Chastery Fuamatu
Men's Hammer Throw (after women) – Aimar Palma Simo, Eron Carter
Women's Javelin (2:00 p.m.) – Allie Hensley, Marie Reed
Men's Javelin (after women) – Eron Carter, Ty Graser
Women's Shot Put (2:30 p.m.) – Marie Reed, Grace Flowers, Evangelynn Harris, Chastery Fuamatu
Men's Shot Put (after women) – Eric Williams
Men's Pole Vault (4:00 p.m.) – Bradley Jelmert, Ty Graser, Trace South, Matthew Keown
Men's 100m (3:25 p.m.) – Ty Graser
Men's 200m (4:10 p.m.) – Ty Graser
