Saturday, January 20
Albuquerque, NM
All Day
University of North Texas
at
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational
Freshmen Impress for Track & Field at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational
1/20/2024 9:42:00 PM | Track & Field/XC
KeAyla Dove sets school record in indoor shot put
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – UNT freshman Jaylen Washington claimed gold in two events to lead the Mean Green track and field teams at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational Saturday.
Making his collegiate debut, Washington blazed to a 6.71 in the 60 meters and a 21.70 in the 200 meters. Due to not running last week, Washington ran in the open division for both events, but his 60 meters time would have finished fourth in the finals of the invitational.
Meanwhile on the women's side, KeAyla Dove continued to cement herself in the North Texas record books for shot put. On her second attempt of the day, Dove launched a throw 17.83 meters, which was good enough to win her second meet this season. It also marked the longest indoor shot put in program history, overtaking her mark of 17.77 meters at the 2023 CUSA Championships, and is the third-longest throw in the NCAA this season.
In addition to Washington, a plethora of true freshman impressed at the meet for North Texas, including Aariyana Williams who improved her personal-best time from the Leonard Hilton Memorial Invite by nearly a second to earn a first-place finish in the unseeded 400 meters with a time of 56.46.
Ricardo Levya placed third in the high jump in his debut. The Horizon City, Texas native cleared the highest mark of the meet at 2.06 meters, but took bronze due to a missed bar earlier in the meet. Deja Shaw-Huckaby placed fourth in the unseeded 60 meters and 200 meters, while clocking a personal best 7.53 in the 60 meters.
In the women's 60-meter hurdles, freshmen Indyia Walton and Akerah Jones, and junior Nakia Marshall each set their personal-best time. The same went for the men's 400 meters where Evan Nichols placed fourth with a personal-best 49.36 and Makenden Brown finished sixth with a new personal-best time of 50.56. Jordan Coates-McBride also had a personal-best time in the 60-meter hurdle prelims clocking an 8.23.
The Mean Green will be back in Houston Jan. 27-28 for the Robert Platt Invitational.
Making his collegiate debut, Washington blazed to a 6.71 in the 60 meters and a 21.70 in the 200 meters. Due to not running last week, Washington ran in the open division for both events, but his 60 meters time would have finished fourth in the finals of the invitational.
Meanwhile on the women's side, KeAyla Dove continued to cement herself in the North Texas record books for shot put. On her second attempt of the day, Dove launched a throw 17.83 meters, which was good enough to win her second meet this season. It also marked the longest indoor shot put in program history, overtaking her mark of 17.77 meters at the 2023 CUSA Championships, and is the third-longest throw in the NCAA this season.
In addition to Washington, a plethora of true freshman impressed at the meet for North Texas, including Aariyana Williams who improved her personal-best time from the Leonard Hilton Memorial Invite by nearly a second to earn a first-place finish in the unseeded 400 meters with a time of 56.46.
Ricardo Levya placed third in the high jump in his debut. The Horizon City, Texas native cleared the highest mark of the meet at 2.06 meters, but took bronze due to a missed bar earlier in the meet. Deja Shaw-Huckaby placed fourth in the unseeded 60 meters and 200 meters, while clocking a personal best 7.53 in the 60 meters.
In the women's 60-meter hurdles, freshmen Indyia Walton and Akerah Jones, and junior Nakia Marshall each set their personal-best time. The same went for the men's 400 meters where Evan Nichols placed fourth with a personal-best 49.36 and Makenden Brown finished sixth with a new personal-best time of 50.56. Jordan Coates-McBride also had a personal-best time in the 60-meter hurdle prelims clocking an 8.23.
The Mean Green will be back in Houston Jan. 27-28 for the Robert Platt Invitational.
Players Mentioned
Sprints
/ Track & Field/XC
Hurdles
/ Track & Field/XC
Throws
/ Track & Field/XC
Hurdles
/ Track & Field/XC
Jumps
/ Track & Field/XC
Sprints
/ Track & Field/XC
Sprints
/ Track & Field/XC
Hurdles
/ Track & Field/XC
Sprints
/ Track & Field/XC
Sprints
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