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LOADED SPRINT FIELD
The Cougars will be well represented in the sprints in California this weekend. Houston will travel with 10 sprinters ranked among the nation’s best according to TFRRS.org.
Four Cougar men will enter the 100-meter dash ranked among the nation’s best. Junior Cameron Burrell holds Houston’s top mark this season at 10.26, while John Lewis III ranks second on the team at 10.27. Their marks place them No. 18 and No. 19 in the nation, respectively. Sophomore Cameron Prejean enters ranked No. 48 at 10.41, while sophomore Mario Burke ran 10.47 to hold the No. 63 spot. In the women’s 100, freshman Sierra Smith enters ranked No. 44 in the NCAA with a mark of 11.52 last week at the Houston Alumni Invitational.
Each of the women entering competition this weekend in the 200-meter dash hold two of the nation’s top times. Senior Tori Williams ranks No. 26 in the NCAA with a time of 23.18, while freshman Brianne Bethel’s mark of 23.48 places her No. 43. In the men’s race, sophomore Jacarias Martin enters with the nation’s No. 22 time at 20.75, while junior Trumaine Jefferson sits 63rd in 21.06.
Sophomore Raymund Clarke rounds out the ranked sprinters for the Cougars in the quarter-mile race. Clarke enters the weekend’s 400-meter dash competition with the nation’s 56th fastest time at 47.11.
LATTIN OWNS THE HURDLES
Sophomore hurdler Amere Lattin will be in action in each of the 110- and 400-meter hurdles for the second consecutive weekend. At the Houston Alumni Invitational, Lattin swept the events after running 13.73 in the 110 and 51.38 in the 400 to move to No. 9 and No. 22 in the nation, respectively. The performance for Lattin earned him his third American Athletic Conference Track Athlete of the Week award for the outdoor season and fourth overall in 2017.
SIERRA GOES THE DISTANCE
Senior distance runner Selena Sierra will be Houston’s lone ranked distance runner at Mt. SAC. The school record holder in the 3000-meter steeplechase, Sierra enters the event ranked No. 64 in the nation after running 10:40.85 at the 90th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays earlier this season.
HOPPING ON EASTER WEEKEND
While competing on Easter Weekend, it’s only fitting that the Cougars would enter a bevy of top-ranked jumpers in the weekend competitions. Four Cougars enter the weekend ranked inside the nation’s top-50 in the long jump while three hold top-15 marks.
In the women’s event, junior Tonye’cia Burks holds the nation’s No. 7 mark at 21-0.5 (6.41m), while freshman Samiyah Samuels’ leap of 20-6.25 (6.25m) places her 14th on the national list. Each of their jumps earned them American Conference Field Athlete of the Week honors in their respective competitions. Burks will also be in action in the triple jump where she enters ranking No. 8 in the NCAA at a school-record 43-5.0 (13.23m).
A trio of men’s jumpers will be in action, led by Jefferson who posted a mark of 25-3.5 (7.71m) at the Texas Relays to open the month and ranks 11th on the NCAA list. He will be joined by juniors Antwan Dickerson (24-5.0; 7.44m) and Jared Kerr (24-4.25; 7.42m) who rank No. 45 and No. 53 in the event, respectively.
Sophomore Colin George is scheduled to be in action in the high jump at The Beach Invitational. George enters with the No. 86 height in the nation after hopping 6-8.75 (2.05m) at the Texas Relays.
THROWING IT DOWN
The Cougar men boast two of the nation’s top shot put competitors in the nation. Junior Cameron Cornelius will look to continue his stellar season in California, entering competition with the nation’s 12th best mark at 61-11.5 (18.88m). Senior Alex Garza made his outdoor debut at the Houston Alumni Invitational last week where he threw 57-8.25 (17.58m) to earn second in the event and move to No. 66 on the national list.
Senior Damon Thompson earned his top mark this season in the hammer throw at the Alumni Invitational to enter the national rankings. Thompson threw for a mark of 192-6 (58.67m) on Saturday to move to No. 95 in the NCAA.