COMMERCE – The Texas A&M University-Commerce track and field teams compete in the Division II National Championships in Allendale, Michigan, this weekend with their eyes set on the podium, as both teams enter the national championships being rated in the top 10 in the country.
The action begins at the Grand Valley State Lacrosse/Track & Field Stadium on Thursday afternoon, with the Lions competing in two finals events and several preliminary races. More events follow on Friday, with the final day of the championships being on Saturday.
WATCH (DAY 1): https://www.ncaa.com/event/4205
LIVE RESULTS: https://results.leonetiming.com/?mid=4919
MEN
The Lion men have three marks that are seeded No. 1 in the country heading into nationals.
Ushan Perera (Mahabage, Sri Lanka) is the national leader in the high jump and can become the first student-athlete in school history with four national championships,
Moaz Ibrahim (Cairo, Egpyt) is the leader in the discus, and the 4x100 meter relay team of
J.T. Smith (Klein Oak),
Delan Edwin (Castries, Saint Lucia),
Andre Norman (Celina), and
Cameron Macon (Dallas – Carter) is first in the nation as well.
Elmar Schutte (Pretoria, South Africa), who is fourth in the pole vault in the country, competes on Thursday as does
Chandler King (Hughes Springs), who is 16
th in the long jump. The Lions have had three student-athletes qualify in the high jump,
Justin Lewis (Lynn, Mass.) is fourth in the country and
Dakari Hill (Orlando, Fla.) is 18
th, along with Perera.
Dodley Thermitus (Elizabeth, N.J.) and
Trayveon Franklin (Montgomery) are seventh and 12
th in the triple jump, respectively.
On the track, Smith and Edwin are both anticipated to reach the finals in the 100 and 200 meter dashes. Edwin is second in the country in the 200 meter dash, while both are in the top seven in the 100 meter dash. Macon is 16
th in the 110 meter hurdles and
Maxime Woirin (Lyon, France) is 18
th in the 400 meter hurdles.
WOMEN
Four marks for the Lion women are tops in the country.
Mariana Shostak (Lviv, Ukraine) has the fastest time in the 400 meter dash,
Minna Svaerd (Karlstad, Sweden) is the leader in the 400 meter hurdles, both are part of the Division II-leading 4x400 meter relay team along with
Naomi Ndukwe (Perserville, France) and
Sofia Khenfar (Lyon, France), and
Candesha Scott (St. David, Grenada) is leading in the javelin.
Tamara Susa (Novi Sad, Serbia) is 11
th in the javelin, while Svaerd also competes in the pole vault, and is seeded No. 14. The 4x100 meter relay team of Shostak, Khenfar,
Francesca Aquilino (Milan, Italy), and
Ashley Benton (Waxahachie Life) is 13
th in the country.
THURSDAY'S SCHEDULE
The first Lion to compete on Thursday is Schutte at 2 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. CDT, followed by King at 2:30 p.m. EDT/1:30 p.m. CDT. Full schedule on Thursday for the Lions can be found below.
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Lion Athletics Mission: Committed to a "Best in Class" experience for all.
