Houston – HCU track and field opened their second meet of the season on day one of the Robert Platt Invitational at the University of Houston Yeoman Fieldhouse and found success with multiple top-three finishers and a handful of qualifiers for day two.
Layloni Watson leaped to an impressive first-place finish in the women's triple jump with a mark of 12.45m/40-10.25, a new indoor PR. Junior
Dadrian Calhoun also enjoyed a podium finish in the men's triple jump, where he placed third overall with a jump of 15.48m/50-9.50, the 40
th-best jump in the country to this point in the season.
On the track, the duo of
Raphael Aureau and
Antoine Tshimanga finished first and second in the men's 1,000 meters, with times of 2:25.88 and 2:32.38.
In the sprints, junior
Ashton Munoz-Nieves soared to a new PR in the men's 60m hurdles with a time of 7.96 while also qualifying for the semifinals on day two. Teammates
SJ Marais and Mayren Whitemill also ran qualifying
times of 8.47 and 8.82. Marais also qualified in the men's 60m dash with a time of 6.97, along with freshman
Humza Baig, who ran 6.99.
In the women's 60m hurdles,
Olivia Ruiz ran a qualifying time of 8.81 to advance to the semifinals while fellow freshman
Olivia Smith-Young qualified in the women's 60m dash with a time of 7.79.
The Huskies will look to follow up on the successes of day one tomorrow, Jan. 31, on day two of the Robert Platt Invitational.
