National, local athletes shine at 67th TSU Relays

Story and Photos by Kristina McKay and Tommy Boatman
Copyright 2018 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 27, 2018) Texas Southern University hosted its 67^th annual TSU Relays on Friday and Saturday March 17-18 where students from all over the country came to test their endurance and skill. Middle school, high school and college men and women competed in pole vault, long jump, and javelin events as well as track races including races with and without hurdles, timed heats and team relay races.

The first afternoon’s quick downpours brought a need for a rotating schedule however the lightning less rain soon passed on, leaving the Houston humidity to heat up the Alexander Durley Stadium where the games took place. The turf where the Athletes converged was about ten degrees hotter than the temperature read so the athletes were huddled up anywhere there was a slice of shade especially on day 2 when the bulk of the games took place and the crowds filled the standing room only stadium.

The US Coast Guard sponsored the incredible games that welcomed athletes who not only were competing for trophies but to break records. Many did just that including Chris Carter who competed in the triple jump coming in 4^th in the country and who left ranking 2^nd in the nation with a personal best of 17.18m and TSU’s own relay team who ran the 4x400 meter relay to earn the 10^th spot in the nation with a time of 3 minutes 10.4 seconds. Texas A&M took first place nationally in the 4x200 meter relay, but Wiley College was nipping at their heals, behind them by 3/10s of a second. With two other record breaking athletes in other track events, it was a great showing by Wiley.

The two days of events, food and fun was a huge success for the athletes who competed, graduating seniors who were honored alongside the generous sponsors, and Texas Southern University who were proud to host the games for the 67^th year and who look forward to next year.

Burrell, Collins complete 100 meters preliminaries at U.S. Olympic Trials

Cameron Burrell
Photo courtesy of
University of Houston
Athletic Communications

By Robert H Kelly

Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

EUGENE, OREGON (July 2, 2016) University of Houston sprinters Cameron Burrell and LaShon Collins competed in the preliminary heats of the 100 meters at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials on Saturday, July 2, 2016. 

Burrell, running in lane four of the third heat, posted the time of 10.18 seconds, finishing in sixth place in the heat. Collins, competing in lane 

LaShon Collins
Photo  courtesy of
University of Houston
Athletic Communications

four of the third heat, run 10.41 to also finish sixth. The top three finishers in each of the five heats advanced to the semi-finals along with the enxt six fastest competitors. Collins and Burrell finished in 25th and 31st place, respectively in the event, failing to make the semifinals. 

Houston Cougar alumni Chris Carter is scheduled to compete in the triple jump on Thursday, July 7 while Collins will return to the track for the 200 meters on the same day. Isaac Williams will compete in the 110-meter hurdles on Friday, July 9. The Trials continue through Sunday, July 10.

Three Houston Cougars to compete at U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

EUGENE, OREGON (July 1, 2016) The Houston Cougars will continue the tradition of having a presence at the United States Track and Field Olympic Trials being held in Eugene, Oregon beginning on Saturday, July 1, 2016. Three current athletes and one alumni will converge at Hayward Field with the goal of making the Olympic team and competing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the Games of the 23^rd Olympiad. Lettermen Cameron Burrell, Issac Williams, and LeShon Collins, along with alumnus Chris Carter, will carry the banner of the Houston Cougars during the 10-day event.

Cameron Burrell

Photo courtesy of University of Houston

Athletics Communications. 

Burrell, who is the son of Houston head coach Leroy Burrell, will compete in the 100-meter dash. He is seed 32^nd in the event with the time of 10.16 seconds. The top seed is Justin Gatlin with the time of 9.77. Gatlin, who runs for Nike, is the 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the event. He earned a bronze medal in the same event in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

LeShon Collins

Photo courtesy of University of Houston

Athletics Communications. 

Collins will also be competing in the 100-meters, in which he is the 31^st seed with the time of 10.15. In addition, he will run the 200-meters. In the longer event, he is seeded 32^nd with the time of 20.43. Gatlin is also the top seed in the 200-meters with the time of 19.74.

Isaac Williams

Photo courtesy of University of Houston

Athletics Communications. 

The 110-meter hurdles will be the lone event for Williams. His time of 13.43 seeds him 11^th in the heats with Adidas’ Aleec Harris holding the top time of 13.11. Carter, who will compete in the triple jump, has the fifth longer lead of all qualifiers with the distance of 17.12 meters (56 feet, 2 inches). The top triple jumper is Nike’s Christian Taylor at 17.76 meters (58 feet 3 inches). 

Three Aggies selected to US team for NACAC U-23 meet

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS (June 21, 2010) Texas A&M will have three track and field athletes as members of the United States team that competes at the NACAC under-23 meet in Miramar, Florida. The North American, Central American, Caribbean Championships will be held at the Miramar Ansin Sports Complex from July 9-11 this summer.

Aggies Ashika Charan, Curtis Mitchell and Jeneba Tarmoh have been named to the U.S. team that is allowed two entries per event.

Charan will contest the triple jump. Mitchell is in the 200 and Tarmoh will compete in the 100. In addition Mitchell will be part of the relay pool for the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 while Tarmoh is in the relay pool for the 4 x 100.

The NACAC under-23 meet will include athletes representing the following countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, El Salvado, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turk and Caicos Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the United States.

Coverage of the NACAC meet will be provided by usportstv.net via a pay-per-view option online. The webcast starts at 7:35 a.m. (CST) on Friday, July 9, with continued coverage on Saturday, July 10 (6 a.m. CST), and Sunday, July 11 (6 a.m. CST). Cost is $7.95 per day or $17.95 for the weekend.

Team USA NACAC Roster Announced

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA (July 17, 2008) Seventy-eight athletes will represent The Team USA roster for theat the 2008 NACAC Under-23 Track & Field Championships, whose roster was announced Wednsesday by USA Track & Field. The event will be held July 18-20 in Toluca, Mexico.

The NACAC Athletic Association's U23 Championships are held every two years in one of the 32 member nations of the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association, one of six regional athletics associations affiliated with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

At the 2006 NACAC Under-23 Championships, Team USA dominated the action in capturing the top two positions in twelve separate events at the Panamerican Stadium in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. (Athletes with Texas toes are posted in italics).

Team USA NACAC Roster - Men

100m: J-Mee Samuels (Fayetteville, Ark.); Evander Wells (Knoxville, Tenn.)

200m: Evander Wells (Knoxville, Tenn.); Trey Harts (Waco, Texas)

400m: LeJerald Betters (Waco, Texas); Ahmad Jamil Hubbard (Conyers, Ga.)

800m: Carlos Phillips (Gainesville, Fla.); Rob Novak (West Orange, N.J.)

1,500m: Andrew "A.J." Acosta (Eugene, Ore.); Jeff See (Middletown, Ohio)

3 km steeple: Kyle Heath (Farmington, N.Y.); Henry Miller, Portland, Ore.

110m Hurdles: Jason Richardson (Columbia, S.C.); Ronnie Ash (Raleigh, N.C.)

400m Hurdles: Justin Gaymon (Athens, Ga.); Nick Robinson (College Station, Texas)

20 km RW: Chris Tegtmeier (Janson, Neb.); Jared Swehosky (Slayton, Ore.)

High Jump: Scott Sellers (Manhattan, Kan.); Joe Kindred (Raleigh, N.C.)

Pole Vault: Paul "Mitch" Greeley (Rock Hill, S.C.); Jordan Scott (Lawrence, Kan.)

Long Jump: Reindell Cole (Las Vegas, Nev.); Matt Turner (Tempe, Ariz.)

Triple Jump: Nkosinza Balambu (Union City, Calif.); Andre Black (Louisville, Ky.)

Shot Put: John Hickey (Iowa City, Iowa); Ryan Whiting (Tempe, Ariz.)

Discus: Matt Lamb (Pullman, Wash.); Ryan Whiting (Tempe, Ariz.)

Hammer: John Freeman (Atlanta, Ga.); Matt Wauters (Moscow, Idaho)

Javelin: Chris Hill (Athens, Ga.); Corey White (Los Angeles, Calif.)

Decathlon: Raven Cepeda (Cedar Falls, Iowa); Nick Adcock (Kansas City, Mo.)

4x100m Relay pool: J-Mee Samuels (Fayetteville, Ark.); Evander Wells (Knoxville, Tenn.); Teddy Williams (San Antonio, Texas); Jeremy Hall (Gainesville, Fla.); Chris Dykes (College Station, Texas); plus anyone on the roster

4x400m Relay pool: LeJerald Betters (Waco, Texas); Ahmad Jamil Hubbard (Conyers, Ga.); Quentin Iglehart-Summers (Waco, Texas); plus anyone on the roster

Men's Staff

Head Coach - Al Schmidt

Head Manager - Manny Bautista

Assistant Coach - Robert Gary

Assistant Coach - Matt Somerlot

Assistant Coach - Rahn Sheffield

Team USA NACAC Roster - Women

100m: Scottesha Miller (Norman, Okla.); Tawanna Meadows (Troy, Ala.)

200m: Scottesha Miller (Norman, Okla.); Leslie Cole (Norman, Okla.)

400m: Francena McCorory (Norfolk, Va); Brandi Cross (Columbia, S.C.)

800m: Geena Gall (Ann Arbor, Mich.)

1,500m: Lauren Hagans (Waco, Texas)

3 km steeple: Nicole Bush (East Lansing, Mich.); Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio)

5,000m: Gwen Jorgensen (Waukesha, Wis.)

10,000m: Meghan Armstrong (Tualatin, Ore.); Morgan Haws (Kaysville, Utah)

100m Hurdles: Kristin Castlin (Blacksburg, Va.); Tiffany Ofili (Ann Arbor, Mich.)

400m Hurdles: Nicole Leach (Los Angeles, Calif.); Danielle Brown (Kalamazoo, Mich.)

20 km RW: Le'Erin Voss (St. Louis, Mo.); Christina Peters (Yellow Springs, Ohio)

High Jump: Desirae Gonder (Woodland Hills, Calif.); Rebecca Christensen (Celina, Texas)

Pole Vault: Stephane Bagan (San Clemente, Calif.); Katie Stripling (Jonesboro, Ark.)

Long Jump: Natasha Harvey (Jacksonville, Fla.); Joemi Maduka (Arlington, Tex.)

Triple Jump: Crystal Manning (Lawrence, Kan.); Tamarah Highsmith (Storrs, Ct.)

Shot Put: Sarah Stevens (Tempe, Ariz.); Aja Evans (Glenwood, Ill.)

Discus: Annie Hess (Portland, Ore); D'Andra Carter (Lubbock, Texas)

Hammer: Sarah Stevens (Tempe, Ariz.); Loren Groves (Manhattan, Kan.)

Javelin: Ruby Jadocaj (Minneapolis, Minn.); Katie Coronado (Ruidoso Downs, Md.)

Heptathlon: Bettie Wade (Ann Arbor, Mich.); Marissa Harris (Starkville, Miss.)

4x100m Relay pool: Scottesha Miller (Norman, Okla.); Tawanna Meadows (Troy, Ala.); Jessica Onyepunuka (Los Angeles, Calif.); Lynne Layne (Knoxville, Tenn.); plus anyone on the roster

4x400m Relay: Francena McCorory (Norfolk, Va); Brandi Cross (Columbia, S.C.);

Kenyata Coleman (Oxford, Miss); plus anyone on the roster

Women's Staff

Head Coach - Beth Alford-Sullivan

Head Manager - Tonie Campbell

Assistant Coach - Lori Shepard

Assistant Coach - Carl Sheffield

Assistant Coach - Anna Mahon

Rice's Wade Ninth at IAAF World Junior Championships in Heat One

BYDGOSZCZ, POLAND (July 8, 2008) Representing TEAM USA at the IAAF World Junior Championships, Rice freshman Becky Wade ran a personal-best time of 10:24.14 to place ninth in heat one of the 3000m steeplechase Tuesday morning. That was not fast enough to advance her to the finals.

The Dallas native's previous best time was 10:29.23 at the Duckett/Rice Twilight Meet on April 24. Wade's USA teammate Elizabeth Graney placed sixth in heat two with a time of 10:37.96 and did not advance.

Wade earned a spot on TEAM USA when she won the U.S. Junior Outdoor Championship held at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at Ohio State with a winning time of 10:29.64.

For more information on the IAAF World Junior Championships go to www.iaaf.org.

Briscoe Wins High Jump at Junior Nationals

By Olivia Dodson
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

COLUMBUS, OHIO (June 24, 2008) Houston's Shanay Briscoe won the women's high jump at the 2008 USA Junior Track & Field Championships at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

Briscoe tied the stadium record with her clearance of 1.80m/5-10.75 with 2008 Texas state champion Brigetta Barrett (Duncansville, Texas) taking second with a height of 1.77m/5-9.75. Florida state champion Maya Pressley (Coconut Creek, Fla.) was third at the same height.

Briscoe and Barrett each will compete in Poland at the IAAF World Junior Championships.

"I was ready two hours before but with the rain and everything, I just tried to stay up. I was good whenever I came out," said Briscoe. "I didn't jump my best, but I did okay. I'm excited about making the team. I've never been to Poland so it'll be great."

USA Track and Field Issues Statement on Marion Jones

Statement from USA Track & Field President Bill Roe and CEO Craig Masback on the sentencing of Marion Jones to six months in prison:

"Today's sentencing concludes a sad series of events. The revelation that one of the sport's biggest stars took performance-enhancing drugs and repeatedly lied about it, in addition to being a party to fraud, has no silver lining. But, it is a vivid morality play that graphically illustrates the wages of cheating in any facet of life, on or off the track. We hope that all Americans will take to heart those lessons. The sport of track and field in the United States has moved on since Marion Jones competed, reaching even higher levels of success, as a team, than when she was at her peak. No one wanted to see this happen, and we hope that Marion and her family can move on as well."