LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Little Rock closed out a strong OVC Outdoor Championships showing at the Coleman Sports Complex with 20 podium finishes, highlighted by a school record and breakout performances from freshmen
Brianna Brinkley and
Jeremiah Patton.
Despite battling through injuries throughout the meet, Little Rock continued to stand out on the conference stage as freshman
Brianna Brinkley broke the school record in the 400-meter hurdles while also claiming the conference title with a time of 59.64.
"When I committed, becoming a record breaker was my primary goal. To have accomplished it means the world to me. I'm so thankful to Coach B for all his help thus far and overjoyed for all my success this year, especially as a freshman. Can't wait to see what next year has in store," said Brinkley.
Freshman
Jeremiah Patton capped off his standout debut season with multiple first-place finishes while earning OVC Male Track Athlete of the Year honors. Patton claimed first in the 200 meters and helped lead the men's 4x100-meter relay team to a conference title.
"Winning Track Athlete of the Year as a freshman means a lot to me because it shows that all the hard work and sacrifices are paying off. Coming in as a freshman, I just wanted to compete at a high level and help my team, so to earn an award like this is truly a blessing. It motivates me even more to keep improving," said Patton.
Little Rock finished the meet with 20 podium finishes, including three relay teams. The men placed third overall with 101.5 points while the women finished fourth with 99 points.
The Trojans continued to dominate in the sprint events, capturing a majority of the conference titles on the track.
Day One
Day one saw two podium finishes for Little Rock as senior
Brooklyn Marcee capped off her Trojan career with a conference title in the pole vault, while graduate student
Jordan Smith battled to a third-place finish in the 10,000 meters.
Day Two
Day two featured more podium performances as the Trojans excelled in the multi-events. Both the men's and women's squads earned second- and third-place finishes in the decathlon and heptathlon, respectively. Senior
Carolin Bielert placed second and sophomore
Madison Thomas finished third in the heptathlon, while sophomore
Morcellous Harris earned second and freshman Trace Forman took third in the decathlon.
The jumps squad also delivered strong performances as seniors
Falon Short,
Deshawn Roberts, and
JaDerrika Welch-Fields all reached the podium in their respective events. Short placed third in the long jump, while Roberts and Welch-Fields each captured conference titles in the high jump.
Day Three
Day three proved to be the Trojans' strongest showing of the championship as Little Rock piled up podium finishes across the track. Junior
Matthew Tyeskie claimed first in the 110-meter hurdles, while freshman
Colter Maya placed third in the 400 meters.
Sophomore
Braeden Bell won the 100 meters with a blazing time that qualified him for the NCAA West Regional. Smith also added another podium finish with third place in the 5,000 meters to close out his Trojan career.
On the women's side, junior
Neveah Hill placed second and senior
Takia Palmer finished third in the 100 meters. Smith also added another podium finish with third place in the 5,000 meters to close out his Trojan career.
The relay teams closed the championships in impressive fashion as the men's 4x100-meter relay captured the conference title and the women's 4x100-meter relay team took second, while the women's 4x400-meter relay team placed third.
"Proud of how our kids competed over the last three days. We had a school record broken in the 400-meter hurdles, added three more qualifiers for the NCAA West Region, and
Jeremiah Patton won OVC Athlete of the Year. The team score is not a fair indicator of how hard our athletes competed. Also, shout out to our administration for creating a great environment and putting on a successful championship," said head coach
J.P. Behnke.
Full results for the meet can be found
here.
As the Trojans wrap up the season, the senior class will graduate tomorrow at 1 p.m. inside the Jack Stephens Center.
The student-athletes who qualified for the NCAA West Regional will continue training as the preliminaries are set for May 27-30 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
For the latest information on Little Rock Cross Country/Track and Field, check out LRTrojans.com. You can also follow the team on social media at @LittleRockTFXC on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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here.
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