SE Kansas News

Gorillas Secure Three All-America Honors Friday

The Pittsburg State University men's and women's indoor track & field teams combined to garner three All-America performances on day one action of the 2023 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships Friday (Mar. 10).

 

L.J. Kiner punctuated the day's events with a national championship performances in the men's long jump. The junior from Humble, Texas broke a D2 meet record with his sixth and final jump, posting a mark of 26 feet, 4.5 inches to win the competition.

 

Kiner, the 2022 national champion in the triple jump, also will compete in that discipline Saturday.

 

In the women's competition, senior Erica Schamel (Cedar Hill, Mo.) secured All-America honors with a fifth-place finish in the high jump by clearing 5-8.75. Senior Shelbi Day (Broken Arrow, Okla.) also garnered All-America accolades with her eighth place finish in the pole vault (12-11.5).

 

In qualifying events, sophomore Cordell Tinch (Green Bay, Wis.) shattered the D2 meet record in the men's 60-meter hurdles. He was clocked in a fast time of 7.52 to advance to Saturday's finals. Sophomore Daylin Williams (Shorewood, Ill.) qualified second in the discipline in a personal-best time of 7.66, while sophomore T.J. Caldwell (Roanoke, Texas) also advanced to finals in 7.99.

 

Seniors Braylen Brewer and Corey Lyons (Sacramento, Calif.) advanced to the finals of the men's 400 meters. Brewer (Maud, Okla.) qualified second in 47.43 while Lyons qualified third in 47.45. Freshman Xavier Carmichael (Alexandria, Va.) and sophomore A.J. Evans (Del Ray Beach, Fla.) qualified third (6.72) and sixth (6.74) in the men's 60 meters, while Evans also qualified fourth in the men's 200 meters (21.11).

 

In women's qualifying sophomore Sky Hagan (Houston, Texas) qualified fourth in the 60-meter hurdles (8.32) and freshman Taniya Looney (Oklahoma City) qualified seventh in the 60 meters (7.43).

 

Redshirt sophomore Hunter Jones exited day one action in the men's heptathlon in eighth place with 2,931 points. Jones (Nickerson, Kan.) finished fourth among the deep field of athletes in the high jump (6-7.5) to highlight his day one performances.

 

In other Pitt State action, senior Allary Liberatore (Oronogo, Mo.) placed 11th in the women's high jump (5-6.5) and sophomore Kyla Davis (Yukon, Okla.) finished in a tie for 11th place in the women's pole vault (12-5.5).

 

Sophomore Blakelee Winn (Pea Ridge, Ark.) finished 12th in qualifying in the women's 60m hurdles and sophomore Jamiya Morgan (Lawton, Okla.) placed 15th in qualifying in the women's 200 meters.

 

Tinch placed 10th in the men's long jump (23-4) as he was forced to simultaneously compete in the horizontal jump discipline and race in the prelims of the 60m hurdles.

 

Senior Tevin Wright-Rose (San Antonio, Texas) finished 11th in the prelims of the men's 60 meters (6.80). Junior Sam Tudor (Waterloo, Iowa) and junior Bailey Stone (Garland, Texas) finished 14th (48.14) and 15th (48.14) in the prelims of the 400 meters.

Original source can be found here.