Texas State women’s indoor track and field team sets their sight on improving before an upcoming Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championship meet in Birmingham, Alabama Feb. 19.
The Bobcats’ dominating performance last year earned them the 2017 SBC Indoor title with 166 points and seven gold medals.
Returning for this season is senior sprinter Tramesha Hardy who earned Women’s Top Scorer with 32.5 points. She was also named Women’s Indoor Track Most Outstanding Performer of the year.
Competing for another season is junior Devina Schneider who scored in all three of her events in the SBC Championship last season.
Schneider competed in the mile run, 3000-meter and 5000-meter competitions. She has finished with a personal best and the second-fastest time in school history in the 3000-meter race with a time of 9:54.91.
Senior high-jumper Chelsie Decoud has returned after winning her third straight indoor gold medal in the high jump.
Other Bobcats returning for this season include junior hurdlers Kaylee Krenek and Kylah Smith, who finished in second and third place in the women’s 60-meter hurdles races, respectively.
The Bobcats started their season at the Purple Tiger Invitational track meet at the Carl Maddox Field House in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Texas State competed against other teams like Lousiana State, Texas Southern University, Tulane and the University of Louisiana.
Decoud took second place after clearing the 1.70-meter mark.
The team swept the triple jump with sophomore triple-jumpers Taydria Nickerson (11.64-meter) and Labryae Jackson (11.29-meter).
Texas State continued the season at the Ted Nelson Invitational meet in College Station, TX Jan. 12-13.
“Early in this season, we competed well as a team,” said Jody Stewart, director of track and field/cross country. “We had challenges, but our athletes responded well, competed tough and will continue to learn from these experiences. As a team, we had some strong performances, but we still have work to do.”
Hardy and Schneider recorded leading SBC times at the meet.
Hardy crossed the 400-meter finish line at 55.19 and Schneider crossed in the mile at 5:00.97.
The women’s 1600 m relay ended with junior sprinter Dawnshae Evans, and Hardy finishing ahead of all other SBC teams with a time of 3:46.14.
Women’s track and field will continue the season before the SBC Championship, at the New Mexico Invitational in Albuquerque Jan. 27 and the Jaguar Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama Feb. 4.