Rain and a packed three-meet schedule didn’t slow Houston track & field down over the course of April 23-25, as it delivered multiple event wins, podium finishes and a school record across the Michael Johnson Invitational, Penn Relays and J. Fred Duckett Twilight.
At the Michael Johnson Invitational on Friday, graduate Canaan Wharry set the tone early, winning the men’s discus with a throw of 52.08 meters on his first attempt. Senior Zaeda Houff followed with a second-place finish in the women’s hammer throw at 54.16 meters, while redshirt sophomore Ty Lott placed third in the men’s hammer throw with a mark of 63.56 meters.
At the Penn Relays, Houston’s men’s 4×200-meter relay team of junior Jaelyn Reeves-Lile, freshman Micah Washington, freshman Sean Aigboboh and graduate Trey East III placed third in the Championship of America final with a time of 1:21.96.
The Cougars carried that momentum into the preliminaries, advancing to five finals. Senior Louie Hinchliffe (10.16), Aigboboh (10.27) and Reeves-Lile (10.30) each qualified for the men’s 100-meter final, while freshman Alexa Smothers advanced to the women’s final with a time of 11.64.
Houston also qualified both relay groups for championship finals. The women’s 4×100-meter relay team of junior Ruth Agadama, sophomore Taylor Jackson, senior Matilde Ochoa and Smothers advanced in 44.74. The women’s 4×400-meter relay team posted a 3:35.46 mark, and the men’s 4×400-meter relay team closed out Friday qualifying in 3:05.80.
On Saturday at the Michael Johnson Invitational, freshman Shieana Hall delivered one of Houston’s top performances, winning the women’s triple jump with a mark of 13.34 meters after recording five jumps over 13 meters. Senior Anthony Trucks added a second-place finish in the men’s 110-meter hurdles with a wind-aided time of 13.60.
Despite cold and rainy conditions at Penn Relays, Houston still came away with three third-place finishes. Smothers placed third in the women’s 100 meters in 11.98, while Hinchliffe finished third in the men’s race in 10.40. Aigboboh placed fourth (10.44) and Reeves-Lile sixth (10.76) in the same event.
The men’s 4×400-meter relay team of sophomore Damarien Jacobs, sophomore King Taylor, freshman Dominic Harper and East III capped the weekend with a third-place finish in the Championship of America final in 3:07.00. The women’s 4×400-meter relay team finished seventh in 3:37.07, while the women’s 4×100-meter relay team also placed seventh in 45.32.
At the J. Fred Duckett Twilight later that day, Houston added more event wins and podium finishes. Freshman Zyon Alston led the way with victories in the women’s 100 meters (11.54) and 200 meters (23.76). Freshman Mallory McLemore won the 400 meters in 58.86, while freshman Destiney Verdin placed third in 59.55.
Senior Ali Mack took first in the 100-meter hurdles in 14.18, and freshman Arianna Peroni won the pole vault with a clearance of 4.05 meters, while sophomore Nicole Prall placed third at 3.80. Freshman Saphina Stanley added a win in the triple jump with a mark of 12.29 meters, followed by sophomore Stephanie Ume-Ezeoke in second at 12.06.
On the men’s side, freshman Zach Miller recorded a school-record time of 3:43.02 in the men’s 1500 meters, breaking Patrick Picciano’s previous mark of 3:44.48 set in 1988. Sophomore Remay Abraha placed third in 3:44.60.
Freshman Elijah Hernandez finished third in the 400 meters in 47.65, and sophomore Noah Hanson placed second in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.19. Junior Cordell Nwokeji won the shot put with a mark of 19.03 meters, while Wharry placed third in the discus at 54.73 meters.
Houston returns home to host the Cameron Burrell Invitational on Thursday, April 30, at the Carl Lewis International Complex.
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