UAPB Track & Field: Golden Lions Break Records with a Roar at SWAC Indoor Track & Field Championship
Birmingham, AL. – The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s men’s and women’s track and field teams put on an impressive performance, breaking several records on the final day of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Indoor Championships held at the Birmingham Crossplex.
The men’s team finished third overall with 89 points, just behind Texas Southern, which won with 100 points, and Jackson State in second with 93 points. The women’s team placed seventh overall with 40 points. This is the second consecutive year that UAPB finished third on the men’s side.
On the men’s side, the Golden Lions shattered five records, including season bests, personal records, and conference records. Junior Ross Walrond had a standout performance in the 400 meters, finishing first with a time of 47.15, which marked his season-best and ranked him 91st in Division I. He was followed closely by sophomore Jordan Pierre, who claimed second place with a season-best time of 47.24, and senior Jared Sylvester, who finished seventh at 47.87.
Junior Avindale Smith placed second in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.80 seconds. Additionally, senior Dwight Henry secured fifth place in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking in at 8.00 seconds.
UAPB had two student-athletes finish in the top five in the 200 meters, with Sylvester leading the way. He achieved another season-best, finishing third with a time of 21.13 seconds, followed by Walrond in fifth place with a time of 21.36 seconds.
Junior Genesis Joseph set a season-best in the 800 meters, finishing second with a time of 1:52.05. In the 5000 meters, sophomore Inertia Mugethi finished tenth with a time of 16:41.63.
Despite competing in several events, the Golden Lions’ relay team ( Jordan Pierre, Mohamed Soumare, Ross Walrond, Jared Sylvester) gave it their all, finishing second in the 4×400 meter relay with a time of 3:12.49. Another relay team ( Terrance Johnson, Christopher Coleman, Genesis Joseph, Inertia Mugethi) placed seventh in the distance relay with a time of 10:51.09.
Senior Che Rochford broke the school record in the men’s heptathlon, finishing first with a total score of 4,936 points, while teammate Anson Moses placed second with 4,886 points.
In the field events, senior Caleb Snowden, who qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this year, finished second in the high jump with a leap of 2.17 meters (7 feet 1.5 inches). Junior Anthony Fuqua placed tenth, achieving a distance of 14.57 meters (47 feet 9.75 inches).
On the women’s side, junior Kris-Ann Plummer ran a season-best in the 800m with a time of 2:13.64, followed by senior Arryona Simmons, placing sixth in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.70.
In the relay competition, the Golden Lions lived up to the expectation as one of the best relay teams ( Cadese Higgens, Kris-Ann Plummer, Kaeyln Kimble, Ashley Robinson) in the conference, securing a third-place finish with a season-best time of 3:47.67. The Golden Lions distance relay team ( Abigail Pinnock, Ashley Robinson, Kaeyln Kimble, Kris-Ann Plummer) placed fifth with a time of 14:66
52. Senior Akili pleas-Carnie placed sixth in the pentathlon with a total score of 3,174.
