T&F Ready for Charlie Thomas Invitational (Day 1 - Maddie Brown wins 5K, comes close to setting program record; Day 2 - Eli Hall sets UH 200m record, 2nd fastest in US and Montgomery wins 400m)

Golf, Track & Field
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http://www.uhcougars.com/sports/c-track/spec-rel/020118aaa.html

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WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Competition will open with sophomore Nathaniel Mechler’s return to the men’s heptathlon. Mechler last competed in the seven-event competition at the 2017 American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships, where as a freshman he claimed gold with 5,636 points. Mechler’s performance in the event was the second best performance in program history in the heptathlon and sits just 35 points shy of the school record.

Senior sprinter Elijah Hall returns to action at the Charlie Thomas Invitational, and he enters with two of the nation’s top-5 times in separate events. Hall ran the NCAA’s No. 2 time in the 60-meter dash in 6.60 at the Leonard Hilton Invitational, while at the Mark Colligan Memorial a week later, he posted the No. 4 time in the nation in the 200-meter dash at 20.76.

Elsewhere in the men’s sprints, a trio of student-athletes are expected to be in action on the men’s side that enter with times inside the nation’s top-100 in their respective events. Mario Burke enters with the NCAA’s 32nd best time in the 60-meter dash at 6.71, while Jacarias Martin ranks 45th in the 200-meters at 21.30 and Kahmari Montgomery sits 22nd in the 400-meter dash with a season best of 46.83.

In the women’s sprints, Brianne Bethel hits the track, looking to improve on the nation’s 31st and 37th fastest times in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, respectively.

A trio of the nation’s top ranked hurdlers hit the straightaway at the Charlie Thomas Invitational, led by Amere Lattin who posted the 16th fastest time in the nation at 7.80 a week ago. Quivell Jordan (8.03) ranks 65th in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, while freshman Naomi Taylor has the nation’s 42nd fastest time on the women’s side at 8.38.

Tonye’cia Burks and Samiyah Samuels headline a talented group of jumpers at the Charlie Thomas Invitational. Samuels enters competition as the No. 26 long jumper in the nation with a top mark of 19-11.5 (6.08m), while Burks holds the nation’s 20th best triple jump (42-4.75; 12.92m) and 50th ranked long jump (19-7.0; 5.97m).

For the men in the jumps, Antwan Dickerson enters ranked 35th in the long jump at 24-7.25 (7.50m), while Jared Kerr’s mark of 24-4.5 (7.43m) has him tied for 45th.

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National Champion Aggies perfect road test for track

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The most interesting matchup at the meet will likely be junior sprinter Kahmari Montgomery against A&M’s Mylik Kerley in the 400m races. Kerley is the brother of 2017 NCAA 400m national champion Fred Kerley and, given he took bronze in the final last year, is expected to fill his brothers place.

Montgomery will be looking to get back into the NCAA Top 16 this weekend after resting this past week and seeing his 400m time of 46.83s drop to No. 22 from No. 16. Kerley currently has the No. 3 time in the nation at 46.10s. If these two end up racing against each other in the final on Saturday, it could easily result in an NCAA leading time.

The two could also end up running aside one another in the NCAA 4x400m relay. The Cougars currently have the No. 5 time in the country with a best time of three minutes, 7.01s. The Aggies, also the defending champions in the race, have the No. 2 time at three minutes, 3.95s.

Overall the Cougars are sending nearly a full travel roster. Everyone from junior sprinter Mario Burke, an NCAA First Team All-American in the 60m, to senior sprinter Elijah Hall, who owns the No. 4 200m time in the country, and the freshmen sprinting duo of Joe Williams and Nick Alexander will be making the trip to Aggieland.

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http://www.uhcougars.com/sports/c-track/recaps/020218aaa.html

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DAY 1 RECAP
Senior distance runner Maddie Brown stole the show for Houston in a short opening day of the meet inside Gilliam Track Stadium. Brown set a new personal best by over 30 seconds in the 5,000-meter run, when she posted a time of 16:53.99 to win the event. The time for Brown moves her to No. 49 in the NCAA this season and is the second fastest time in program history, sitting just four-hundredths of a second shy of the school record.

Maria Gonzales finished ninth in the 5K with a personal best time of 18:03.05, while Emely Morgado ran 12th in 18:27.44.

In the men’s 5,000-meter run, Houston set a trio of personal bests and also picked up two top-5 finishes, including GJ Reyna who placed third in 14:54.49. Chris Wallace ran the 25-lap race in 14:56.40 to finish fifth, while Devin Fahey crossed the line in 15:15.78 to place 10th.

Sophomore multi-athlete Nate Mechler was the only other Cougar in singles action on Friday, competing in the first four events of the men’s heptathlon. Mechler started the day with a sixth place finish in the 60-meter dash in 7.13 to pick up 837 points, before moving on to place second in the long jump and score 913 points after setting a new personal best with a top mark of 24-3.75 (7.41m).

Mechler took eighth in the men’s shot put after throwing 39-10.0 (12.14m) to earn 615 points in the third event of the competition before wrapping the first day with a fourth place finish in the high jump with another personal best of 6-5.5 (1.97m) to score 776 points.

Mechler totaled 3,141 points on the first day and enters the final three events in fifth place.

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https://twitter.com/stevemagness/status/959628395306012674
https://twitter.com/stevemagness/status/959599178388312065

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Live results: Charlie Thomas Invitational

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NEW SCHOOL RECORD! Elijah Hall breaks his own program record and moves to No. 2 in the nation in the 200-meter dash, winning the race in 20.51! #GoCoogs #HTownSpeedCity

Jacarias Martin 2nd w 21.23

Smoking!!

This team is loaded. Can’t wait for indoor conference and outdoor to begin.

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Hall is just amazing and I think he can win the 60m and 200m at the indoor championships.

Number of high finishes for both the women and men this weekend…good sign for both teams.

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Kahmari Montgomery won the 400m:
https://twitter.com/doncarlostheone/status/960023151932567552

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http://www.uhcougars.com/sports/c-track/recaps/020318aab.html

Sophomore sprinter Elijah Hall broke his own school record in the 200-meter dash, as the Houston Cougar Men’s and Women’s Track & Field teams wrapped up competition at the Charlie Thomas Invitational, on Saturday, in College Station, Texas.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Hall shaved two-tenths of a second off of his already program-best time in the 200-meter dash on Saturday. The Katy, Texas, native crossed the line in 20.51 to win the race and clock the second fastest time in the NCAA this season, his second top-2 mark in the nation (6.60; 60-meter dash) this year. Hall’s mark also moves him to No. 3 in the world.

Junior Jacarias Martin joined Hall on the podium, finishing second with a personal best time of 21.23 to move to No. 23 in the NCAA.

Kahmari Montgomery took home Houston’s second victory of the afternoon, when he won the 400-meter dash competition. Montgomery entered with a personal best of 46.83, the fourth fastest time in program history, before improving that to 46.28 on Saturday. Montgomery’s new mark is the third fastest time at Houston and moves him to No. 10 in the NCAA this season.

The Cougars picked up a trio of runner-up finishes in the vertical jumps at the Charlie Thomas Invitational, including sophomore Samiyah Samuels who took silver in the women’s long jump. Samuels used her first attempt to jump a personal best 20-2.25 (6.15m) and move to No. 19 in the nation.

In the men’s long jump, Antwan Dickerson and Jared Kerr finished 2-and-3 in the competition. Dickerson soared to a personal-best leap of 24-7.75 (7.51m) to take the silver and move to 39th in the NCAA, while Kerr garnered bronze after jumping 23-10.25 (7.27m) on his fifth attempt.

Kerr would return to finish as the runner-up in the triple jump competition later in the afternoon. Kerr’s second leap traveled 49-0.25 (14.94m) to give him a new personal best.

Cameron Laverty picked up another top-3 finish for the Cougars, when he took third in the men’s 800-meter run. Laverty crossed the line in 1:50.77 to move into the 800-meter rankings at No. 49 in the NCAA this season.

Houston picked up 27 personal bests on the second day of the Charlie Thomas Invitational, including three in the women’s 3,000-meter run, where Meredith Sorensen led the charge with a ninth place finish in 10:16.63.

In the women’s throws, Mikaila Martin picked up a fourth place finish en route to a big personal record, when her fifth attempt traveled 56-2.0 (17.12m).

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https://twitter.com/doncarlostheone/status/960540662566408193

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