CANYON, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — West Texas A&M University’s track and field men and women teams are now 2023 Lone Star Conference (LSC) Champions, making it the third year in a row. WTAMU is the first program in LSC history to become men and women conference champions for three consecutive years.

The Lady Buffs

The Lady Buffs move from the number three spot to number one in the nation after posting four nationally leading event performances in the championship meet.

WTAMU Brook Urban helped the Lady Buffs by jumping the highest in the nation with a height of 1.81 meters (5 feet 11.25 inches). The Lady Buffs 4×100 relay team handled business as well running a blazing time of 44.34 seconds, the fastest time in the nation. Eleonora Curtabbi continues her reign as the nation’s leader in the steeplechase with a time of 9:57.76, and the 1500 meter with a time of 4:18.72.

The Lady Buffs have a lot of firepower with three athletes ranking in the top five in their events helping them become the number-one team in the nation. Taylor Nelloms holds the number two spot in the triple jump with a jump of 13.29 meters (43 feet 7.25 inches). Florance Uwajeneza ranked third in the 5000 meters running a 16:07.13, as well as the number two spot in the 10000 meters running a 32:49.06. Corrissia Perry ranks second in the 400 meters running 52.82 seconds.

The Lady Buffs also have a plethora of sprinters with 4 athletes placing in the top five in the 100 and 200-meter events including:

• Leah Belfield placed second in the 100 meters at 11.60 seconds and first in the 200 meters at 23.49 seconds.
• Corrssia Perry placed second in the 200 meters at 23.56 seconds.
• DeOndra Green placed first in the 100 meters at 11.46 seconds and third in the 200 meters at 23.79 seconds.
• Alana Wilson placed fourth in the 100 meters at 11.69 seconds and fourth in the 200 meters at 24.01 seconds
• Jordanae Scott placed fifth in the 100 meters at 11.78 seconds.

The Buffs

The Buffs maintain the number two spot in the nation with a great performance from their sprinters. The Buffs 4×100 relay team ran the fastest time in the nation running 38.92 seconds. Their 4×400 relay team ranks third in the nation running 3:08.47 which is more than a second faster than the previous best time.

The Buffs displayed a ton of speed with eight sprinters placing top five in the 100 and 200-meter events. In the 100 meters, Isaac Botsio finishes first place at 10.10 seconds, Joseph Manu in second place running at 10.20 seconds, and Jerry Jakpa comes in fourth at 10.38 seconds.

In the 200 meters, Jeremiah Lauzon finishes in first place at 20.59 seconds, Joseph Manu also finishes at 20.59, Isaac Botsio finished third at 20.71 seconds, Quinton Sansing finishes in fourth at 20.73 and Jerry Jakpa at 20.91.

WTAMU will compete in their last at-home meet on Sunday, May 14. Athletes will get one last chance to qualify for the NCAA Division II National Championship that will be held on May 25-27 in Pueblo, Colorado.