CARROLLTON, Ga. – The University of West Alabama Track and Field team delivered a competitive performance at the Meet of Legends, hosted by the University of West Georgia, earning 19 top-10 finishes across two days of competition.
Dedric Hicks led the way with a first-place finish in the men's shot put, recording a 15.82m throw. Hicks previously broke the UWA school record for shot put at the Mississippi College Spring Classic with a 15.11m throw. He now holds a new school record and personal best with his latest shot put performance from UWG.
Friday's competition opened with strong showings in distance events. In the women's 5000-meter run,
Laurel Morse placed second with a time of 20:55.25, while
Kayley Key finished sixth in 22:16.43. In the women's 1500-meter run,
Augusta Arnold claimed a second-place finish in 5:12.99.
In the men's 1500-meter run,
Jentzen Moore secured fourth place with a time of 4:04.35, followed closely by
Gary Mata, who finished fifth in 4:05.69. In addition,
Jaxson Lovelace, delivered a standout performance in the men's javelin, taking first place with a throw of 54.97 meters.
Saturday's events featured a mix of sprints, middle-distance races, and relays. The women's 4x100-meter relay team—composed of
Mikia Hutchings,
Gabriel Stephens,
Erica Smith, and
Yakubu Balikis—earned a third-place finish with a time of 47.22 seconds.
Augusta Arnold returned to place fifth in the women's 400-meter dash, clocking in at 57.62 seconds.
Yakubu Balikis continued her dominant season in the sprints, finishing first in the women's 200-meter dash with a time of 24.16 seconds and placing first in the 100-meter dash in 11.83 seconds.
Mikia Hutchings followed, finishing fifth in the 100-meter dash and tenth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.48 seconds.
In the women's 800-meter run,
Jordan Conner placed third with a time of 2:25.80.
The men's 800-meter run proved to be one of UWA's strongest events of the meet, with four athletes placing in the top 10:
To conclude the meet,
Lawrence Walker Jr. placed eighth in the men's 200-meter dash with a time of 21.88 seconds.
The Tigers will return to Georgia next weekend, setting their sights on the
Berry Field Day Invitational, hosted by
Berry College in Mount Berry, Ga., April 11–12. With strong momentum and standout performances leading the way, UWA looks to keep building on their success as the postseason draws closer.
