BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Three conference champions highlighted a successful two days at the Birmingham CrossPlex as Little Rock closes out the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships.
2019 Sun Belt Indoor Championship Final Results (PDF)
As a team, the Little Rock men finished seventh overall with 43 total points, its best showing and highest point total since 2012. On the women's side, the Trojans finished with 14 points, placing 11th overall.
Little Rock's individual conference champions for 2019 consist of
Emilio Medina in the men's mile,
Keshawn Andrews in the men's 60 meters and
Charles Okeze in the men's 200 meters. The result marks the first Trojan Sun Belt individual indoor champion since 2012 and the three first place finishes ties the 2005 squad for the most in a single Sun Belt indoor championship.
The first point-earner for Little Rock at the 2019 indoor championships came in the heptathlon where
Max Holzmueller finished sixth overall, setting a new school record with 4,993 points. Holzmueller had a strong finish to his competition, tying for third in the pole vault at 4.20 meters while winning the 10,000 meters with a time of 2:42.15, setting a new Sun Belt heptathlon record in the process.
The Trojans' impressive afternoon then began in the women's mile where Shanieke Watson was among the favorites. Sitting in the fifth position with one lap to go, Watson made a final kick and surged all the way to second, finishing with a personal-best time of 4:54.40. It was the fourth-fastest indoor mile in program history as she shaved nearly two seconds off her previous best.
Up next came the men's mile with
Emilio Medina racing in the first of two heats. Similar to Watson, Medina used a final surge over the final 50 meters, to log a personal-best time of 4:17.60. He then waited and watched the second heat race with the top finisher crossing the line at 4:19.03, giving Medina Little Rock's first men's indoor champion since 2012.
One of the most anticipated races of the day was the men's 60 meter dash, a race which featured a pair of Trojans in
Keshawn Andrews and Okeze. In one of the closest races of the week, Andrews edged out the first place showing at 6.76 with Okeze right behind in third at 6.79. Andrews matched his personal-best of 6.76, the third-fastest in school history, with Okeze's 6.79 giving him a new personal best as the duo earned 16 points in the team standings.
Watson then put together another impressive performance in the women's 800 meters, finishing fourth overall with a time of 2:12.92 to add five more points to her day, giving the women 13 team points.
The third individual champion for Little Rock came in the men's 200 meters as Okeze showed off his speed once again, bursting out to a blazing start then holding off UT Arlington's Deontre Haynes by .01 second, capturing first with a time of 21.41. The effort game Okeze 16 points for the men's side
The final point earners for Little Rock came in the 4x400 meter relay teams as the women finished eighth (3:55.36) while the men placed seventh (3:20.36), giving one and two team points, respectively. With the efforts on the relay, Okeze closed out the meet with 16.5 total points, ranking fourth among all male competitors, while Watson finished with 13.25 total points, ranking 12th.
With the indoor season now complete, Little Rock will turn its attention to the outdoor season, which begins in a little over a month. The challenging schedule begins in Texas when Little Rock competes in the UT Arlington Bobby Lane Invitational on Sunday, March 24.
2019 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championship Little Rock Results – Day Two
Heptathlon
6.
Max Holzmueller – 4,993 pts.
Men's Triple Tump
14.
Nghia Dinh – 13.17m
Men's Shot Put
19.
Ryan Amador – 13.38m
Women's Shot Put
17. Jayla Bell – 11.16m
Women's Mile
2. Shanieke Watson – 4:54.40
Men's Mile
1. Emilio Medina – 4:17:60
Men's 60 Meters
1. Keshawn Andrews – 6.76
3.
Charles Okeze – 6.79
Women's 800 Meters
4. Shanieke Watson – 2:12.92
Men's 200 Meters
1. Charles Okeze – 21.41
Women's 5,000 Meters
14.
Vianney Sanchez – 18:29.33
20.
Hannah Manning – 19:15.40
Men's 5,000 Meters
18.
Anthony Puerta – 16:28.70
Women's 4x400 Meter Relay
8. Little Rock – 3:55.36
Helensia Green, Jessica Gray, Shanieke Watson, Aaliyah Lacy
Men's 4x400 Meter Relay
7. Little Rock – 3:20.36
Charles Okeze, Jalen Black, Noah Smith, Ch'kilas Calhoun
#LittleRocksTeam
