Stephen F. Austin
Southland Conference
SFA Men's Track and Field Team Wins SLC Outdoor Championship
5/19/2025 11:26:00 AM | Track & Field
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Men's Track and Field Team won the Southland Conference Outdoor Championship this weekend, months after winning the indoor title. They won in resounding fashion, totalling 146 points, 33 more than second-place Lamar. The women's team came in fifth place, notching 82.5 total points.
The men's team dominated, capturing five first-place finishes. Elkana Kipruto placed first for SFA in both the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters, earning 20 points. Jarvis Anderson placed first in the 400-meter hurdles, grabbing another 10 points. Brayden Hill and Bryson Williams placed first in the pole vault and the triple jump, respectively, earning a combined 20 points.
Starting with the track events, the men had their way in the 800 meters, as Riley Elliott (3rd, 5 points), Robert Fuelle (6th, 3 points), Jackson Parrish (7th, 2 points), and Pablo Lessari (8th, 1 point) earned a combined 11 points. The men also placed four guys in the top eight in the 1,500 meters. Elliott placed 3rd (6 points), Bennett Meyer-Wills placed 5th (4 points), Lessari placed 7th (2 points), and Kevin Curry IV placed 8th (1 point), combining for another 12 points. In the 5,000 meters, Ryan Binskin joined Kipruto in the top 8, placing 6th to earn 3 points. Andrew Mullen joined Kipruto in the top 8 in the 10,000 meters, placing 8th for another point. In the steeplechase, Zephirin Darhan and Wyatt Hoover placed 2nd and 5th, respectively, earning 12 points. To round out the track events, the 4x100 meter relay team and the 4x400 meter relay team placed 7th and 6th, grabbing 5 points.
For the field events, Hunter Murphy and Nicholas Grullon placed 2nd and 3rd in the high jump, combining for 14 points. The guys also dominated the pole vault, as four 'Jacks found themselves earning points. Hill won the event (10 points), Cade Carter (7 points) and Garrett Savage (7 points) tied for 2nd, and Payton Bragg placed fifth (5 points) as the four put up 29 points together. Grullon continued his big day in the long jump, placing 7th to earn another 2 points for SFA. Oghenetega Orkevwie joined Williams in the top 8 in the triple jump, placing 6th and earning 3 points. In the shot put, Kason J. Reed placed 6th, earning 3 points. Samuel Pavan placed 7th in the discus, grabbing another 2 points. In the hammer, James Williams came in 8th, earning 1 point. Finally, Semion Brodski and Ayden Colbert placed 6th and 8th, respectively, in the decathlon, earning 4 points.
On the women's side, Valentine Jemutai was the lone first-place finisher, as she dominated the 10,000 meters to win and give the Lumberjacks 10 points.
Starting with the track events, Kennedy Swann placed 3rd in the 100 meters, earning 6 points. Jada Gibson placed 6th in the 400 meters, earning 3 points. Jemutai continued her strong day in the 5,000 meters, placing sixth to earn 3 points. Sharon Boyani joined Jemutai in the top 8 in the 10,000 meters, placing seventh for another 2 points. In the 100-meter hurdles, Amani Graham and Basia Mitchell placed 4th and 5th, combining for 9 points. Garance Dubray placed 6th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, earning 3 points. To wrap up the track events, the 4x100-meter team placed second and the 4x400-meter team placed sixth, combining for 11 points.
In the field events, Jamie Richardson placed 4th in the high jump, earning 5 points. Kira Van Den Ham tied for 3rd and Reis Johnson placed 5th in the pole vault, earning a combined 9.5 points. Mitchell continued her strong day in the long jump, placing 6th. Teammate Kaya Russler also did well in the event, placing 5th. The two combined for 7 points. Alondra Loya placed 8th in the hammer, earning a point. Finally, Mitchell capped off her day in the Heptathlon, placing second. Kenisa Meyer joined her in the top 8, placing 5th. They combined for 12 points.
"I'm really proud of the marked improvement our women's team made from indoors to outdoors." Said Head Coach Robert Hansen. "That group is tough and talented, and I thought they competed well throughout the weekend. The expectation for our women is rising, no doubt."
As for the men, Hansen had this to say. "We never want to take for granted our championship success. Winning is hard, and it took everyone staying focused on a mission for the entire year. Our team was resilient this weekend, overcoming the weather and strong competition. We had so many exceptional results, I'm just really proud of the whole group of athletes and coaches."
For all the latest information on SFA track and field, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Lumberjacks on X and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
