HOUSTON - Trinity University Track & Field got back to competition Friday night in NCAA I University of Houston's Howie Ryan Invitational.
The Tigers were especially successful in the jumps on Friday, notching four top-10 performances. Casey Hampton (Houston, Texas / Westbury Christian) and Sean Majors (Fredericksburg, Texas / Fredericksburg) finished fifth and sixth in the long jump, separated by just 0.07 meters. Hampton marked a jump of 6.94 meters to finish just ahead of his All-American teammate. Justin Johnson (Houston, Texas / Manvel) matched Hampton's finish, taking fifth place in the triple jump with his top mark of 13.70 meters. Cooper Tyler (Austin, Texas / Anderson) secured eighth place in the high jump after clearing 1.80 meters.
Tanner Lacy (Oak Ridge North, Texas / Oak Ridge) continued his strong start to the indoor season with a fifth-place finish in the pole vault, reaching 4.60 meters. Teammates Noah Ledat (Richardson, Texas / Richardson) and Daniel D'Rovencourt (Fulshear, Texas / Tompkins) joined Lacy in the top 10 in the event, tying for eighth after clearing 4.00 meters.
Robert Slaybaugh (Missouri City, Texas / Elkins) finished the shot put with a throw of 13.74 meters to snag eighth place, while Kierra Francois (Rosharon, Texas / Arlington) reached 11.86 meters in the weight throw to secure 10th place.
The Tigers also had both a men's and women's relay team finish in the top 10 at today's meet. Johnson and Majors were joined by Ethan Gilmore (Houston, Texas / Lamar) and Grant Bishop (Seguin, Texas / Navarro) for the men's 4x400-meter relay, finishing fifth in a time of 3:24.60. The Trinity women's team of Taylor Kotfas (Blanco, Texas / Blanco), Carter Gray (Scottsdale, Ariz. / Notre Dame Prep), Hayley Huck (Prosper, Texas / Prosper), and Danya Selber (Edinburg, Texas / Robert Vela) combined for a ninth-place finish in the women's 4x400 with a time of 4:22.36.
The 3,000-meter run also saw four top-10 finishes between the men's and women's squads. Elaine Kaster (Lewisville, Texas / Founders Classical Academy) had the top place among the four runners, earning sixth place with her time of 10:44.47. Ben Whittemore (Georgetown, Texas / Georgetown) was eighth with his time of 9:00.32 on the men's side, while Diego Flores (San Antonio, Texas / Great Hearts Monte Vista North) was a little over three seconds behind his teammate in 10th place. Ardi Saunders (Coppell, Texas / New Tech) was also 10th with their time of 11:11.46.
Will Salony (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce) also had a standout result with his time of 4:19.29 in the men's mile, which was good for seventh place.
Trinity will be back in action next weekend at a pair of indoor meets. Part of the team will compete at the Jarvis Scott Open, hosted by Texas Tech University on Friday, February 18. Other members of the team will return to the University of Houston for the FasTrak Open Qualifier on Saturday, February 19.
