The UTRGV Men’s and Women’s Track & Field teams were hoping to place at the 2020 Texas A&M University Aggie Invitational to get ready for championship time.
They competed at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium last Saturday against A&M, Baylor University, University of Missouri and Texas Southern University. Results were unavailable at press time.
“This is a big meet for us,” Head Coach Darren Flowers said in an interview with The Rider last Tuesday. “It’s our first time to get invited to this meet. It’s gonna be really good competition and I think our kids are ready. The main thing that we’re really focused on is just continuing to get better every week and walk out of there healthy.”
Competition will be tough. On Jan. 18, Baylor’s KC Lightfoot cleared a national best and school record mark of 18-8.25 (5.70) to win the men’s pole vault and earn Field Athlete of the Meet.
On May, 13 the U.S Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association ranked A&M as one of the top five NCAA Division I – Men’s Outdoor Track & Field teams.
“We’re obviously bringing kids that we think can compete at this level with these Power Five schools,” Flowers said. “So it’s really our hope that we can get one or two kids in each final and go compete and go show that this program is elevating and that we can compete with the best in the nation. That’s our hope.”
Despite the challenge, his ultimate goal remains the same.
“Well, only having [five] teams, the competition is a lot more concentrated and you’re gonna have high-level performers in every event,” Flowers said. “So, I think it’s just a great opportunity for us to see where we’re at this time of year, this early and also for the kids to see some really big competition and, hopefully, sharpen their mental game and get them ready for when we hit championship time.”
Track and Field sophomore Samariae Bonds, who set a new program record with a shot put throw of 15.95 meters to finish in the top 20 at the National Collegiate Athletic Association West Preliminary round last year, is back and ready to demonstrate how she has prepared for the Texas A&M Invitational.
“It’s just to get better, throw further, do the techniques Coach gives me and just put it out in the field,” Bonds said.
She explained how she prepares herself.
“Just going to the workouts, doing what Coach says, let’s put my music in and just keep going,” Bonds said.
Bonds competed in the weight throw, hammer throw and shot put, and she feels most confident with her weight throw.
The Rider asked Bonds the main difference between practice and participating in an actual meet.
“Practice is just more of like doing it multiple times until you get it right, until Coach says it’s good to his standings,” she said. “And then competition, you only get that three times doing it. So, out of those three turns you got it right, unless you can get that number to put it out there in the field.”
Sprints sophomore Max Carmona, who graduated from Veterans Memorial High School in Brownsville, has also broken program records by winning the 800-meter run last year with a time of 1:53.60 at the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals Invitational and setting a new best personal record in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.61 at the Bobcat Classic, according to goutrgv.edu.
Before the Texas A&M Invitational, Carmona earned WAC Track & Field Athlete of the Week honors and his expectations are higher than ever.
“This upcoming weekend [I’m going to] run the 400 and a 4 x 400 meters relay,” he said. “For the 400, expect the [personal record] from last year, and well, hopefully run some 49 for our [400-meter] indoors.”
Carmona’s time for the 400-meter indoors was 49:09 and 48:05 outdoor, but he only ran it twice last year.
“I’m more of an 800-meter runner,” he said.
The UTRGV Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Teams will be back in action Friday and Saturday at the University of Houston Invitational.
