A&M-COMMERCE 2012 MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD SEASON RECAP
2012 MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD SCHEDULE/RESULTS
2012 MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD STATISTICS (PDF)
Opening Lap
A&M-Commerce closed out the 2012 track and field season with a handful of impressive performances by head coach Darren Schneider's squad. The Lions finished the year with 100 top-five performances, including 12 first-place showings, highlighted by a first-place showing by Khalil Henry at the 2012 Lone Star Conference Championships, hosted by A&M-Commerce at Memorial Stadium.
A&M-Commerce Places Sixth at Lone Star Conference Championships
A&M-Commerce enjoyed a home field advantage for the 2012 Lone Star Conference Championships as the Lions hosted the conference meet May 3-5 at Memorial Stadium in Commerce. A&M-Commerce saw a number of its athletes post season-best times en route to a sixth-place finish, racking up 54.50 points. Five Lions placed among the top-five of their respective events, including Khalil Henry's first-place showing in the high jump with Chris Douglas notching a runner-up showing in the 800 meter dash.
Henry Pulls In All-LSC Honors
Junior Khalil Henry highlighted the 2012 season for A&M-Commerce emerging as one of the Lone Star Conference's top high jumpers. Henry posted the five-best high jump marks for A&M-Commerce on the season, including a pair of provisional qualifying leaps. He finished in the top-five in each meet on the season, highlighted by a first place finish at the LSC Championships in Commerce, posting a season-best mark of 2.06 meters and earning All-Conference honors in the process.
Rollins Makes His Mark As Freshman
Freshman John David Rollins made his presence known in his inaugural A&M-Commerce season, posting the top Lion mark in the 100 and 200 meter dashes as well as the long jump. In the 100 meter, Rollins posted the top-four A&M-Commerce times, including a season-best 10.69 at the LSC Championships. He also posted the top-two 200 meter dash times, highlighted by a 21.88 showing at the conference meet. Rollins also proved to be the Lions' top long jumper, posting the top four marks while notching a pair of provisional qualifying marks which included a fourth-place finish at the LSC Championships. For the year, Rollins posted nine top-five finishes, highlighed by a first-place showing in the 100 meter dash at the Texas State Bobcat Classic.
Dia Remains A&M-Commerce's Top Thrower
Sophomore Daniel Dia continued to establish himself as A&M-Commerce top thrower, finishing the season with the top-five Lion marks in the discus, hammer throw and shot put, setting career-bests in each event. Dia notched his season-best throws in both the discus and shot put at the Texas State Bobcat Classic, posting a 47.29 meter mark in the discus with a 13.86 meter showing in the shot. Dia saved his best in the hammer throw for the LSC Championships, posting a 40.28 meter showing. On the year, Dia notched 10 top-five showings, placing second in the discus in a pair of meets.
Dubose Shines in Freshman Campaign
Freshman Ravi Dubose came on strong in his first season as a Lion, leaving his mark in a handful of events. Dubose posted three of the top-five times in the 200 meter dash, including a 22.06 showing at the Bobby Lane Invitational, while recording the fourth-best 400 meter dash time with a 48.30 time at the Texas State Bobcat Classic. Dubose also showed his prowess on the triple jump, recording the four-best marks for the Lions with a 13.89 meter career-best showing at the Hendrix Invitational. Dubose was also a key member of both the Lion 4x100 and 4x400 meter relay teams, running a leg on four provisional qualifying 4x400 meter times this season, and was named the A&M-Commerce Men's Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
Holmes Closes Out A&M-Commerce Career in Style
Senior Demetrius Holmes closed out his Lion career with an impressive senior campaign, solidifying his place as the captain of the A&M-Commerce hurdlers. Holmes finished the 2012 season with four of the top-five 110-meter hurdle times, posting a season-best time of 15.46 at the Texas State Bobcat Classic. He also notched a pair of the top-five times in the 400 meter hurdles, including a 54.69 showing at the Oklahoma Baptist Open. Holmes finished his A&M-Commerce career with six top-five showings, including first place finishes at the Hendrix Invitational (110m), Oklahoma Baptist Open (400m) and Incarnate Word Last Chance Meet (400m).
Rickett Provisionally Qualifies in 400 Meter Dash
Junior Ernest Rickett came on strong at the end of the season in his first campaign for A&M-Commerce, posting a pair of provisional qualifying marks at the 2012 Lone Star Conference Championships in the 400 meter dash. Rickett ran a season-best 47.91 in the preliminaries, then shattered that mark with a 47.61 showing in the finals en route to a sixth-place finish. Rickett posted four of the top-five 400 meter dash times on the year for the Lions while also running a leg on both the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relay teams.
Douglas Comes On Strong in 800 Meter Run
Freshman Chris Douglas came on strong in the final month of the season in the 800 meter run, beginning with a first-place showing at the Michael Johnson Classic (1:54.31). Douglas then placed second in the 800 in both the preliminaries (1:54.20) and the finals (1:57.02) at the Lone Star Conference Championships before closing out the year with a second-place finish at the Incarnate Word Last Chance Meet (1:54.59). He also finished fifth in a pair of other meets, bringing his total top-five showings to six on the year.
Lion Distance Runners Remain Consistent
One of the consistent components of the 2012 A&M-Commerce track and field season was the Lion distance runners as a number of A&M-Commerce runners posted impressive showings. Junior Ross Hicks emerged as the top 1,500 meter runner for coach Schneider, posting the top four times on the year, including a 4:02.69 mark at the Mean Green Spring Invitational. Transfers Isaac Chelimo and Fredrick Kipsang combined for six of the best times in both the 3,000 meter steeplechase and the 5,000 meter run while senior Raman Singh posted the top time in the 5,000 meter run with top marks in the 1,500 and 10,000 meter runs. Everett Wilder posted the top 10,000 meter mark as well, notching a 32:13.40 mark at the LSC Championships.
A&M-Commerce 4x400 Meter Relay Posts Four Provisional Qualifying Marks
The Lion 4x400 meter relay team posted four provisional qualifying marks on the season, highlighted by a season-best 3:12.12 showing at the Mt. SAC Relays as EJ Skinner, Ernest Rickett, Ravi Dubose and Adam Gary represented A&M-Commerce. The Lions also came in under the 3:14.00 provisional qualifying mark at the Lone Star Conference Championships (3:13.43), Mean Green Spring Invitational (3:13.55) and the Oklahoma Baptist Open (3:13.59).
2012 A&M-Commerce Provisional Qualifying Marks
• Ernest Rickett - 400 meter dash (47.61) - Lone Star Conference Championships (Finals)
• Ernest Rickett - 400 meter dash (47.91) - Lone Star Conference Championships (Preliminaries)
• Khalil Henry - High Jump (2.06 meters) - Lone Star Conference Championships
• Khalil Henry - High Jump (2.05 meters) - Michael Johnson Dr. Pepper Classic
• John David Rollins - Long Jump (7.37 meters) - Lone Star Conference Championships
• John David Rollins - Long Jump (7.18 meters) - Michael Johnson Dr. Pepper Classic
• 4x400 Meter Relay Team - 3:12.12 - Mt. SAC Relays
• 4x400 Meter Relay Team - 3:13.43 - Lone Star Conference Championships
• 4x400 Meter Relay Team - 3:13.55 - Mean Green Spring Invitational
• 4x400 Meter Relay Team - 3:13.59 - Oklahoma Baptist Open
2012 A&M-Commerce First-Place Finishes
• Chris Douglas - 800 meter run (1:54.31) - Michael Johnson Dr. Pepper Classic
• Anthony Harris - Long Jump (6.77 meters - Incarnate Word Last Chance Meet
• Khalil Henry - High Jump (1.98 meters) - Incarnate Word Invitational
• Khalil Henry - High Jump (1.98 meters) - Marc Randle Classic
• Khalil Henry - High Jump (2.06 meters) - Lone Star Conference Championships
• Demetrius Holmes - 110 meter hurdles (16.11) - Hendrix Invitational
• Demetrius Holmes - 400 meter hurdles (54.69) - Oklahoma Baptist Open
• Demetrius Holmes - 400 meter hurdles (56.30) - Incarnate Word Last Chance Meet
• Ernest Rickett - 400 meter dash (48.64) - Oklahoma Baptist Open
• Ernest Rickett - 400 meter dash (48.16) - Marc Randle Classic
• John David Rollins - 100 meter dash (10.79) - Texas State Bobcat Classic
• Hank Smith - 400 meter hurdles (56.16) - Marc Randle Classic