Texas Track & Field posted strong performances on April 17 during the opening day of the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational at Percy Beard Track in Gainesville, Florida. The team recorded several personal bests, top-three finishes, and new entries to the program’s all-time lists.
Amelliah Birdow finished third in the women’s 400-meter hurdles invitational with a personal-best time of 54.96 seconds. This result secures her position as fifth on Texas’ all-time performer list and marks the 13th-fastest performance in program history. On the men’s side, Chris Brinkley Jr. won his heat and placed eleventh overall in the 400-meter hurdles invitational with a personal-best time of 49.92 seconds, moving him into ninth place on Texas’ all-time performer list.
In other events, Carleta Bernard placed seventh in the women’s 200-meter invitational with a wind-aided personal-best of 22.68 seconds, while Elise Cooper also achieved a personal best at 23.03 seconds and Rejoice Sulte finished at 23.51 seconds. Troy Mason competed in the men’s 200-meter invitational with a time of 21.00 seconds.
Field event highlights included Sam Abati’s third-place finish in the men’s pole vault invitational after clearing a personal-best height of 5.50 meters (18-0.50), earning him eighth place on Texas’ all-time list. Michael Pinones was runner-up in the men’s shot put invitational with a throw of 19.58 meters (64-3), and Kelsey Daniel secured sixth place in men’s long jump at 7.81 meters (25-7.50). Giavonna Meeks took eleventh place in women’s shot put with a mark of 15.39 meters (50-6).
Outside invitationals, Abigail Wolfe led four Longhorns finishing among the top fifteen women’s competitors for the open section of the women’s 200 meters by placing third with her own personal best (23.28). Naomi London also set her own record to finish ninth (23.50), while Holly Okuku (23.58) and Ramiah Elliott (23.62) each registered season-bests.
The Longhorns are participating as split squads this weekend; their distance group is competing simultaneously at Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California.
