It was a clean sweep on Tuesday at the Sun Belt Indoor Track and Field Championships, as Arkansas State claimed both the men's and women's team titles for the first time since 1998.
The Red Wolves also became the first program to sweep the Sun Belt indoor titles since 2010. Five Red Wolves claimed individual titles (3 women, 2 men) in addition to the men closing out the meet with a gold-medal finish in the 4x400m relay. Camryn Newton-Smith finished in a three-way tie for the most points scored on the women's side, winning both the pentathlon and the 60m hurdles for 20 points. In total on the weekend, A-State tallied eight first-place results – four each for the men and women.
Both squads posted program-record team scores, with the women winning with 138 points and the men notching 146 points. Troy finished second with 89 points while UT Arlington finished second on the men's side with 130 points.
"We talk about championships from day one," head coach Jim Patchell said. "That's one of our team goals – try to be in a position to compete for championships and to win our fair share of them. We're not shy about pursuing that and we let our recruits know that's what we're about. We knew we had a strong lead in the field coming in, but that doesn't always mean a victory in the championship – we had to show up and do it. I'm proud of how our women fought from day one and I'm so happy that we came away with a victory. We took a different approach with the men, we had some people compete in three events and they rose to the occasion. I'm so proud of them."
Tuesday began with the A-State men picking up nine points in the heptathlon, with Hayden Hampton and Ty Graser placing fourth and fifth, respectively.
A-State's trio of high jumpers posted strong results en route to adding 12 points to the women's team's total led by Sydney Lane's runner-up finish. Megan Knowling and Allie Hensley finished as part of a three-way tie for sixth that led to two points apiece. In the men's high jump, Frank Massey notched a fifth-place finish to score four more points for the men.
In the men's weight throw, Eron Carter earned a silver-medal finish with a best throw of 19.32m (63-4.75) while rookie Aimar Palma Simo threw a collegiate-best 18.68m (61-3.5) that ranks him seventh all-time at A-State to place fifth and earn four points. On the women's side, Grace Flowers took silver with a personal-best 19.32m (63-4.75) that moves her up to second in program history in the event.
A-State picked up a sweep of both the men's and women's mile, won by Bennett Pascoe and Pauline Meyer. Pascoe's run came after taking the 5000m on Monday night and he led a pack of three Red Wolves that finished in the top five – tallying 20 total points. Seth Waters earned a bronze-medal finish while Gregoire Saury finished fifth. Pascoe became the first A-State mile champion since Seth Bortey (2001).
Meyer led four A-State runners that scored 18 points in the event. Elizabeth Martin placed fifth, while Sammy Brainard and McKenzie Cornell rounded out the Red Wolves in sixth and eighth place. Meyer closed out her tremendous meet with a third-place finish in the women's 3000m, running 9:45.48 that moves her up to second in program history. Sophie Leathers placed fourth in the 3000m with a personal-best 9:57.33.
Chris Hill added three points for the men with a sixth-place finish in the 60m, while Jermie Walker earned a silver medal in the men's 400m with a personal-best 47.55 that ranks fourth in school history before notching a bronze-medal finish in the men's 200m.
Waters claimed the men's 800m with a personal-best 1:51.95, which ranks ninth in school history. Alejandro Vargas placed fifth to earn four points while Handre Jonker added a point in eighth place.
The Red Wolves then saw success in the 60m hurdles with Newton-Smith's victory followed by a bronze-medal finish by Amari James.
A-State then took home 16 points in the women's pole vault behind Lauren Beauchamp's gold medal result of 3.90m (12-9.5) and Callie Hicks' bronze-medal finish. Beauchamp became the first Red Wolf to win the event since 2015.
Also in the sprints, Osereme Erewele placed fourth with a run of 7.64 to earn five points for the women's squad.
The Red Wolves will next wait to see if any A-State athletes will qualify for the 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sophomore Camryn Newton-Smith currently owns the No. 9 mark in the pentathlon and the top 16 athletes and top 12 relay teams advance to the national championship meet held March March 13-14.
For the latest on the A-State track and field program, follow @AStateTrack on Twitter and @Arkansas_State_Track on Instagram, while also liking the team's Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateTrackAndField.
A-STATE AT THE 2020 SUN BELT CONFERENCE INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
WOMEN'S RESULTS (*denotes collegiate best; ^ denotes season best)
TEAM SCORES
1. Arkansas State – 138 points
2. Troy – 89
3. Texas State – 80
4. South Alabama – 78.5
5. Georgia State – 68
6. Appalachian State – 49
7. UT Arlington – 41.5
8. ULM – 34
9. Louisiana – 31
10. Georgia Southern – 18
11. Little Rock – 17
12. Coastal Carolina – 16
60m (Prelims): Sadi Giles (Texas State), 7.49Q
A-State: 4. Osereme Erewele, 7.60Q^; 10. Jonae Cook, 7.69
60m (Final): Sadi Giles (Texas State), 7.38
A-State: 4. Osereme Erewele, 7.64 [5 points]
200m (Prelims): Sadi Giles (Texas State), 24.41q
A-State: 13. Osereme Erewele, 24.92; 22. Briana Hardiman, 25.25
400m (Prelims): Imani Flanagan (Georgia State), 55.72q
A-State: 12. Briana Hardiman, 57.19; 17. Kyndall Hudson, 58.03*; 31. Blaique Webster, 1:03.01
800m (Prelims): Tanner Guest (Troy), 2:15.03Q
A-State: 11. McKenzie Cornell, 2:20.37; 13. Kayla Wade, 2:21.11
Mile (Prelims): Angela Alonso (Georgia State), 4:57.65Q
A-State: 2. Pauline Meyer, 5:00.27Q; 3. Elizabeth Martin, 4:57.75Q* [No. 4 in school history]; 6. McKenzie Cornell, 5:00.92Q* [No. 7 in school history]; 9. Sammy Brainard, 4:58.74q* [No. 6 in school history]
Mile (Final): 1. Pauline Meyer, 5:01.16 [10 points]; 5. Elizabeth Martin, 5:03.64 [4 points]; 6. Sammy Brainard, 5:06.46 [3 points]; 8. McKenzie Cornell, 5:07.32 [1 point]
3000m: Lotte Meyberg (Georgia State), 9:42.39
A-State: 3. Pauline Meyer, 9:45.48* [No. 2 in school history] [6 points]; 4. Sophie Leathers, 9:57.33* [5 points]; 9. Elizabeth Gillette, 10:05.01; 14. Sarah Trammel, 10:15.58* [No. 10 in school history]; 19. McKenzie Cornell, 10:20.70; 22. Madison Grimm, 10:21.74
5000m: Lotte Meyberg (Georgia State), 16;49.36
A-State: 4. Elizabeth Gillette, 17:21.18* (5 points) [No. 4 in school history]; 5. Sophie Leathers, 17:25.31* (4 points) [No. 5 in school history]; 10. Sarah Trammel, 17:48.13*
60m Hurdles (Prelims): Javlyn Cameron (Texas State), 8.57Q
A-State: 5. Camryn Newton-Smith, 8.67q; 11. Imani Udoumana, 8.80; 14. Alexis Woodall, 8.95; 20. Rainee Bowers, 17.04
60m Hurdles (Final): 1. Camryn Newton-Smith, 8.49* [No. 4 in school history] [10 points]
4x400m Relay: UT Arlington, 3:44.51
A-State: 10. Briana Hardiman/Kyndall Hudson/Camryn Newton-Smith/Allie Hensley, 3:54.15
Distance Medley Relay: Troy, 11:55.44
A-State: 2. Elizabeth Martin/Kyndall Hudson/Kayla Wade /Sammy Brainard, 12:09.55 (8 points)
High Jump: Katherine Stuckly (Texas State), 1.75m (5-8.75)
A-State: 2. Sydney Lane, 1.72m (5-7.75) [8 points]; T6. Megan Knowling, 1.64m (5-4.5) [2 points]; T6. Allie Hensley, 1.64m (5-4.5) [2 points]
Pole Vault: 1. Lauren Beauchamp, 3.90m (12-9.5) [10 points]; 3. Callie Hicks, 3.80m (12-5.5) [6 points]; 9. Nada Buntic, 3.60m (11-9.75)
Long Jump: Jasmine Scott-Kilgo (ULM), 6.07m (19-11.0)
A-State: 16. Johnaya Givens, 5.41m (17-9.0)^; 17. Arabriuan Mack, 5.37m (17-7.5)
Triple Jump: Naomi Ferdinand (Texas State), 12.44m (40-9.75)
A-State: 4. Imani Udoumana, 12.22m (40-1.25) [5 points]; 7. Johnaya Givens, 11.95m (39-2.5) [2 points]
Shot Put: Autavia Fluker (South Alabama), 15.34m (50-4.0)
A-State: 2. Evangelynn Harris, 15.14m (49-8.25) [8 pts]; 3. Grace Flowers, 14.86m (48-9.0) [6 pts]; 6. Babette Vandeput, 13.56m (44-6.0)* [3 pts]; 13.38m (43-10.75)* [2 pts]
Weight Throw: Brianna Sam (ULM), 20.28m (66-6.5)
A-State: 2. Grace Flowers, 19.32m (63-4.75)* [No. 2 in school history] [8 points]; 11. Chastery Fuamatu, 15.49m (50-10.0); 12. Evangelynn Harris, 15.44m (50-8.0); 13. Hannah Higgins, 15.33m (50-3.5)
Pentathlon: 1. Camryn Newton-Smith, 4,701 points (10 points) [School-record]; 4. Allie Hensley, 3,707 points* (5 points) [No. 6 in school history]
Pentathlon 60m Hurdles: 1. Camryn Newton-Smith, 8.63 (989 points); 9. Allie Hensley, 9.61 (787 points)
Pentathlon High Jump: 1. Camryn Newton-Smith, 1.74m (5-8.5) (903 points)* [8th in school history]; 2. Allie Hensley, 1.71m (5-7.25) (867 points)
Pentathlon Shot Put: Hanna-Mai Vaikla (South Alabama), 12.65m (41-6.0) (704 points)
A-State: 3. Camryn Newton-Smith, 11.92m (39-1.25) (656 points); 5. Allie Hensley, 11.43m (37-6.0)* (623 points)
Pentathlon Long Jump: 1. Camryn Newton-Smith, 5.92m (19-5.25) (825 points); 5. Allie Hensley, 5.59m (18-4.25) (726 points)
Pentathlon 800m: Emilie Berge (South Alabama), 2:22.10 (795 points)
A-State: 3. Allie Hensley, 2:29.10 (704 points)*; 4. Camryn Newton-Smith, 2:29.57 (698 points)*
MEN'S FINAL RESULTS (*denotes collegiate best; ^ denotes season best)
TEAM SCORES
1. Arkansas State – 146 points
2. UT Arlington – 130
3. Texas State – 95
4. Louisiana – 87.5
5. South Alabama – 73
6. Appalachian State – 60
7. ULM – 39.5
8. Little Rock – 30
60m (Prelims): Ismael Kone (UT Arlington), 6.78Q
A-State: 2. Chris Hill, 6.84Q* [T6 in school history]; 10. Courtney Thomas, 6.93
60m (Final): Ismael Kone (UT Arlington), 6.74
A-State: 6. Chris Hill, 6.94 [3 points]
200m (Prelims): Ismael Kone (UT Arlington), 21.20q
A-State: 3. Jermie Walker, 21.43q; 9. Chris Hill, 21.88
200m (Final): Ismael Kone (UT Arlington), 21.03
A-State: 3. Jermie Walker, 21.34
400m (Prelims): Elijah Wright (Little Rock), 48.24q
A-State: 3. Kobey Hill, 48.44q*; 4. Jermie Walker, 48.58q
400m (Final): Jaylen Allen (Texas State), 47.31
A-State: 2. Jermie Walker, 47.55* [No. 4 in school history] [8 points]; 6. Kobey Hill, 48.64 [3 points]
800m (Prelims): Eric Hawkins (ULM), 1:55.65Q
A-State: 2. Seth Waters, 1:55.88Q; 4. Handre Jonker, 1:55.98Q; 8. Alejandro Vargas, 1:56.49q; 13. Darrian Lockett, 1:59.00^; 15. Gregoire Saury, 1:59.28
800m (Final): 1. Seth Waters, 1:51.95* [No. 9 in school history] [10 points]; 5. Alejandro Vargas, 1:54.56* [4 points]; 8. Handre Jonker, 1:55.11 [1 point]
Mile (Prelims): Johen Deleon (Texas State), 4:18.25Q
A-State: 2. Gregoire Saury, 4:18.26Q; 4. Bennett Pascoe, 4:18.65Q; 5. Seth Waters, 4:18.50Q
Mile (Final): 1. Bennett Pascoe, 4:14.61 [10 points]; 3. Seth Waters, 4:15.79 [6 points]; 5. Gregoire Saury, 4:18.07 [4 points]
3000m: Justin Domangue (UT Arlington), 8:23.79
A-State: 6. Bennett Pascoe, 8:30.76 [3 points]; 7. Ethan Mychajlonka, 8:33.30* [2 points]; 8. John Carder, 8:34.68* [1 point]; 17. Seth Waters, 8:50.25; 21. Coleman Wilson, 8:57.87
5000m: 1. Bennett Pascoe, 14:35.56 (10 points); 7. John Carder, 14:48.85* (2 points) [No. 2 in school history]; 9. Ethan Mychajlonka, 14:53.60* [No. 5 in school history]
60m Hurdles (Prelims): Yves Cherubin (Louisiana), 8.09Q
A-State: 3. Amari James, 8.10q*; 11. Hayden Hampton, 8.62; 13. Ke'Von Holder, 9.02
60m Hurdles (Final): Joel Bengtsson (UT Arlington), 8.02
A-State: 3. Amari James, 8.10 [6 points]
Distance Medley Relay: Texas State, 10:16.46
A-State: 2. Garrett Becker/K'Den Johnson/Alejandro Vargas/Coleman Wilson, 10:20.94 (8 points)
4x400m Relay: 1. Jermie Walker/Darrian Lockett/Kobey Hill/Handre Jonker, 3:16.57
High Jump: Bryson DeBerry (UT Arlington), 2.20m (7-2.5)
A-State: 5. Frank Massey, 2.08m (6-9.75) [4 points]
Pole Vault: Noah Mumme (South Alabama), 4.91m (16-1.25)
A-State: 9. Matthew Keown, 4.71m (15-5.5)
Long Jump: Ronnie Briscoe, Jr. (Texas State), 7.43m (24-4.5)
A-State: 3. Carter Shell, 7.40m (24-3.5) [6 points]; 5. Courtney Thomas, 7.28m (23-10.75) [4 points]; 6. Coleton Clifft, 7.23m (23-8.75)* [3 points]
Triple Jump: Christian Ellis (South Alabama), 15.73m (51-7.25)
A-State: 4. Carter Shell, 15.20m (49-10.5)* [5 points]; 13. Courtney Thomas, 14.20m (46-7.25); 14. Amari James, 14.15m (46-5.25)*
Shot Put: Rickssen Opont (South Alabama), 16.47m (54-0.5)
A-State: 3. Eron Carter, 15.71m (51-6.5) [6 points]; Eric Williams, FOUL
Weight Throw: Dominique Williams (Louisiana), 21.45m (70-0.25)
A-State: 2. Eron Carter, 19.32m (63-4.75) [8 points]; 5. Aimar Palma Simo, 18.68m (61-3.5)* [No. 7 in school history] [4 points]
Heptathlon: Julien Olivas (Texas State), 5,324 points
A-State: 4. Hayden Hampton, 5,173 points (5 points); 5. Ty Graser, 4,880 points (4 points)
Heptathlon 60m: Chandler Mixon (Louisiana), 7.10 (847 points)
A-State: 3. Ty Graser, 7.25 (796 pts); 4. Hayden Hampton, 7.31 (775 pts)*
Heptathlon Long Jump: Lucas Van Klaveren (UT Arlington), 7.02m (23-0.5) (818 points)
A-State: 3. Ty Graser, 6.68m (21-11.0) (739 points)*; 4. Hayden Hampton, 6.63m (21-9.0) (727 points)*
Heptathlon Shot Put: Julien Olivas (Texas State), 13.92m (45-8.0) (723 points)
A-State: 3. Hayden Hampton, 12.84m (42-1.5) (657 points); 6. Ty Graser, 11.44m (37-6.5)* (572 points)
Heptathlon High Jump: 1. Hayden Hampton, 1.98m (6-6.0) (785 points); 4. Ty Graser, 1.86m (6-1.25) (679 points)*
Heptathlon 60m Hurdles: Chandler Mixon (Louisiana), 8.40
A-State: 2. Hayden Hampton, 8.47 (867 points); 6. Ty Graser, 9.03 (739 points)
Heptathlon Pole Vault: Julien Olivas (Texas State) & Chandler Mixon (Louisiana), 4.95m (16-2.75) (895 points)
A-State: 4. Hayden Hampton, 4.45m (14-7.25) (746 points)*; 5. Ty Graser, 4.35m (14-3.25) (716 points)
Heptathlon 1000m: Lucas Van Klaveren (UT Arlington), 2:46.37 (804 points)
A-State: 5. Ty Graser, 3:02.60 (639 points); 6. Hayden Hampton, 3:05.03 (616 points)
PLAYERS MENTIONED
Distance Sophomore
Distance Junior
Throws Junior
Multi-Events 6' 2" Senior
Sprints 5' 8" Junior
Sprints Senior
Hurdles Junior
Hurdles 6' 2" Senior
Sprints 5' 10" Senior
Distance Freshman
