ENMU Track and Field Eying Return Trip to NCAA Championships

by ENMU Athletics

PORTALES, N.M.— Eastern New Mexico University track and field coach Eric Boll and his team will be eagerly awaiting next week’s NCAA selection of the provisional qualifiers for the championship meet to be held in Walnut, Calif., beginning on May 22. Last season, Kyle Harris (Sr., Altamonte Springs, Fla./NMMI/Lyman HS) and Zach Gerleve became the first ENMU athletes to reach the NCAA Division II championships.

Harris has earned provisional qualification with his first place finish in the triple jump at the McMurry Relays, clearing a distance of 47’ 10.41”. He also turned in a first place finish in the event in the season opener at Tarleton. Last season, Harris earned a 16th place finish at the NCAA Championships in Charlotte, N.C. “Kyle jumped well at the conference meet,” said Boll. “He has been very consistent this season.”

Steven Aragon (So., Los Lunas, N.M./Los Lunas HS) won the javelin toss at the Lone Star Conference championships with a season-best throw 195’ 6”, beating the closest competitor by over a foot. His performance gave the Greyhounds their third conference champion in the javelin in the last four years and their fifth top-two finish in the last five years. He also finished first at the McMurry Relays and third at the Texas Tech Open. “Steven set a personal record at the LSC championships to qualify for NCAA’s and has continued to get better every year,” said Boll. “He is a guy you love to coach and will continue to get better every year.

Deidra Brown (So., Bloomfield, N.M./Bloomfield HS) threw the javelin a season-best 137’ 4” to take third place at the Lone Star Conference championships and turned in first place performances at the McMurry Relays and Texas Tech Open earlier in the season. ”Deidra is just naturally talented and also set a personal record at the LSC Championships,” said Boll. “The two girls that finished ahead of her made the two furthest throws in the country; she would have won any other Division II conference. We are working on a few things to make her even better.”

At the Abilene Christian Twilight Open, the quartet of Josh Browning (Fr., Alamogordo, N.M./Alamogordo HS), J.T. Thompson (So., Sweetwater, Texas/Sweetwater HS), Brian Smith (Fr., Midland, Texas/Midland HS), and Tim Hamett (Jr., Midland, Texas/Midland Lee HS) qualified for nationals with a school record time of 41.32 in the 4x100 relays. “Their qualification came as a total surprise to me,” said Boll. “I am very proud of those guys. I have to give a lot of credit to coach (Gabe) Rivera for getting them into this position. It may be the hardest event for us to qualify for.”

 

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