Stephen F. Austin
Texas Relays
Payne, Men's 4x400 Finish Texas Relays Strong
3/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
Saturday Results | Compiled Results
AUSTIN, Texas - Demi Payne started the outdoor season with a solid performance in the women's pole vault and the Stephen F. Austin men's 4x400 meter relay team had a great afternoon as well to close the 88th Annual Nike Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays on Saturday.
In her first competition since claiming honorable mention All-America honors at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships on March 14, Payne proved why she is one of the early favorites to contend for an NCAA outdoor title this June. The junior took third overall and second among collegiate competitors in the women's pole vault with a jump of 14-7.25 (4.45m) on Saturday.
Entering into the mix at 14-3.25 (4.35m), Payne cleared the opening bar with ease on her first attempt. She then breezed over 14-7.25 in one go before coming up just short in three attempts at 14-11 (4.55m).
Arkansas' Sandi Morris won the event with a top jump of 14-11 while April Steiner Bennett (Asics) cleared the same height in one more attempt to take second among the talented 11-woman field.
In one of the most anticipated finals of one of the biggest meets of the year, the Lumberjacks finished in fifth place in the men's 4x400 meter relay late on Saturday afternoon with a time of 3:09.79.
Johnathan Joe got out strong in the first leg of the race before handing off to Tedrick Hawkins. Both Hawkins and Joshua Taylor kept SFA right in the thick of the lead runners through the middle stages in front of a packed Mike A. Myers Stadium. On the final lap, My'Lik Kerley made a huge push towards the front in his first 200 meters before crossing the finish line in fifth place behind Clemson (3:08.18), Texas State (3:08.72), UTEP (3:09.03) and LIU Brooklyn (3:09.46).
A day after finishing fourth out of 46 teams in the 4x400 prelims, Joe, Hawkins, Taylor and Kerley came up big again in the finals. The squad beat Akron, South Plains, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh to conclude a great week.
The SFA track and field teams will return to action at a familiar venue next Thursday and Friday for the Skecher's Carl Kight Invitational at Homer Bryce Stadium. More information on the home meet will be posted on SFAJacks.com early next week.
-SFA-
