Trojans Open Indoor Season With Three Wins

Meet Results

JONESBORO – The Little Rock indoor track and field season got off to a terrific start as the Trojans saw a school record fall in the triple jump, three first-place finishes and six total top-10 marks in program history.

Angelica Jacobs claimed the title in the women's 800, running the race in 2:25.11 to beat out the second-place finisher by 0.85 seconds. Jacobs, fresh off the Trojan cross country season, impressed in her first track race with the team and got the team's first victory of the afternoon.
 
The evening closed with the relays, and that's where the Trojans picked up their other two event wins. The Trojan men won their 4x400 relay as the team of Dylan Wood, Kendrick Dunn, Zodani Francois and Travion Clark cross the finish line in 3:19.87. That is the new eighth-fastest time in program history.
 
The women's team was just as impressive in the 4x400 relay, winning their competition with a time of 4:01.24. That group, made up of Jasmine Blunt, Anika Charles, Christina Nickerson and Angelica Jacobs beat out the second-place team from UAPB by .26 seconds. Little Rock's "B" team was great as well, taking third place in a time of 4:04.66. Tyler Kelly, Brittany Pinder-Jones, Rickitha Hicks and Brittney Brasuell combined for that mark.
 
Despite not earning an event victory, Desmond Gulley had a school record performance in the triple jump. Gulley took second place with a distance of 15.02 meters or 49' 4 1/2", breaking the school record set nearly four years ago. Back in February 2012, Taron Dunn jumped 14.98 meters or 49' 1 3/4", so Gulley's jump was more than eight full inches better than Dunn's mark from 2012. Gulley's previous best in the indoor triple jump was 46' 4".
 
Also in the triple jump was Dinh, and he placed fifth with a leap of 13.62 meters or 44' 8 1/4". Dinh's distance immediately becomes the seventh-best showing in Trojan history.
 
Also in the field, Little Rock got a fourth-place showing from Gulley in the long jump with a leap of 6.92 meters or 22' 8 1/2". Nghia Dinh was ninth in his first-ever jump for the Trojans, reaching a distance of 6.23 meters or 20' 5 1/4". Terance Goodwin was 12th with a distance of 5.79 meters or 19'.
 
On the women's side, Tyra Gillam placed 11th in her long jump with a distance of 4.38 meters or 14' 4 1/2" and was second in the triple jump with a distance of 9.84 meters or 32' 3 1/2."

Back on the track in the 55-meter hurdles, Zodani Francois qualified for the finals with a third-place time of 7.81 seconds in his first-ever race as a Trojan. In his second race as a Trojan, he did better by nearly two tenths of a second, taking second place with a time of 7.62 seconds. That is the new second-fastest time in program history in the event.
 
The Trojan women represented well in the 200, as Rickitha Hicks took third place with a time of 25.37 seconds to break her own personal best by .01 seconds and maintain her position as the fifth-best time in Trojan history.. Newcomer Christina Nickerson was right behind her, taking fifth in 25.86 seconds which ties her for ninth in program history. Brittany Pinder-Jones came in 14th in 26.83 seconds.
 
The men's 200 saw Travion Clark compete, and the newcomer placed fourth with a time of 21.94 seconds. That time immediately puts him in the Trojans' all-time top 10, as it is good for the eighth-best time in program history.
 
In the men's 3K, Isaac Lalang took third place with a time of 8:39.46, and Alberto Herrera was fourth in 9:04.37. Adela Hernandez also placed third in the women's 3K, crossing the finish line in 10:59.63.
 
Cory Martin qualified for the finals of the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.66 seconds in the prelims, posting the sixth-fastest time in the early rounds. He would finish sixth in the finals as well, bettering his time by nine hundredths of a second to cross the finish line in 6.57 seconds.
 
In the mid-distance Rebeca Solis was fourth in the mile, finishing the race in 6:07.21.
 
Jasmine Blunt was Little Rock's best finisher in the 400, placing fifth with a time of 1:00.70 and just missing the one-minute barrier. Akeia Joyner was 10th in 1:01.57, Brittney Brasuell took 12th in 1:02.27 and Tyler Kelly was 13th in 1:02.54. Eboni Smith (15th, 1:03.03), Jessica Gray (16th, 1:04.84) and Shanavia Cole (20th, 1:05.71) also competed.
 
Little Rock now has more than a month off before its next meet. The Trojans return to action in Jonesboro on Jan. 22-23 for the Arkansas State Invitational.