BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (2/6/22) – Success inside the Birmingham Crossplex is nothing new to the Arkansas State track and field teams.
That continued Sunday at the USA Invitational, as a dozen athletes recorded personal-best performances in one of the final tune-ups ahead of the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Championships, held in the same facility in just over three weeks.
Distance athletes were especially stellar, bookending the day with strong finishes. Jacob Pyeatt and Grayson Young kicked off the morning on the track in the 5000m, posting a pair of marks that rank inside the program's indoor top five. Pyeatt placed second in 14:25.09, while Young finished in 14:37.39, placing sixth. Their marks rank second and fourth in program history, respectively.
Freshman Dawson Mayberry moved into fourth all-time at A-State in the mile, clocking a time of 4:10.82 in a third-place finish. In the women's mile, Elizabeth Martin placed fourth with a season-best 5:00.08.
NCAA Outdoor All-American Bennett Pascoe closed out the day with a runner-up finish in the men's 3000m, finishing in 8:16.34 to move up to third all-time in the event.
Bradley Jelmert and Trace South registered a 1-2 finish in the men's pole vault, with Jelmert vaulting up the all-time standings with a career-best 5.36m (17-7.0), which is sixth-best in program indoor history. South's runner-up finish came via a collegiate-best clearance of 5.07m (16-7.5). Avery Shell also recorded an indoor best in the women's pole vault, clearing 3.80m (12-5.5).
In the throws, Grace Flowers celebrated her birthday in style, notching season bests in both the shot put and weight throw. Flowers placed third in the shot put with a mark of 15.14m (49-8.5), while placing fourth in the weight throw with a toss of 19.63m (64-5.0).
On the straightaway, Rainee Bowers and Tyra Nabors finished first and second in the women's 60m hurdles, finishing in 8.57 and 8.71, respectively. Elsewhere in the sprints, Jonae Cook matched the seventh-fastest mark in school history, clocking a blistering 24.64 in the women's 200m.
Frank Massey got off to a strong start in his first competition of the season in the high jump, clearing 2.08m (6-9.75), finishing just a centimeter shy of his indoor best.
NEXT UP
Arkansas State's regular season concludes next weekend with a pair of meets leading up to the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Championships. Some Red Wolves will travel to Pittsburg, Kan., for the Indoor Gorilla Classic, while others will compete in Nashville, Tenn., at Vanderbilt's Music City Challenge.
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.
