Track Breaks More Records, Adds More National Qualifiers at Texas Tech Shootout

LUBBOCK—The Westerners continued to improve their times and qualify additional athletes for Nationals this past weekend at the Texas Tech Shootout on February 11 and 12.

On Friday afternoon, Freshman Javari Thomas made it out of the qualifying round. He won his heat and ran a new personal best. Jaden Williams also finished the 60 meter with a new personal best.

The Westerner men finished the Friday events with Miguel Nicholas and Ethan Smith both qualifying for Nationals in the 400 meters. The race marked Nicholas’s first attempt in the event in the 2021-2022 season.

On Saturday, a trio of Westerner women placed in the top 8 for the 1,000 meter: Sancia Smith, Rushell Johnson, Teresa Gallegos. Freshman Smith led the group running 3:01.66, finishing in 3rd place behind athletes from Oklahoma and Baylor. Smith broke the school record in the process. All three women qualified for Nationals in the event. Latifah Pinnock also competed in the event and ran a personal best.

Sophomore Geovanni Cruz ran a personal best in the 1 mile.

The men’s 4 x 400m capped off the meet with a National Qualifying mark of 3:12.59. The men currently rank #3 in the NJCAA. The team consisted of Miguel Nicholas, Antonio Blair, Lee Steward, Ethan Smith.