UA has strong opening at Texas Relays

The first day of the Texas Relays included a strong start in several events for the University of Arkansas.

Current Razorback G’Auna Edwards and Arkansas alum Taliyah Brooks, both competing in a heptathlon for the first time since 2018, set career best first-day scores. Brooks leads the heptathlon with 3,767 points, while Edwards is the top collegian, and second overall, at 3,404.

Qualifying races for the 200 meters and 400 meters involved seven Razorbacks, and Shafiqua Maloney, Paris Peoples and Morgan Burks-Magee advanced to Saturday’s finals.

In the 100 hurdles, Brooks ran in the only heat assisted by a wind over 2 meters per second as she clocked a leading time of 12.95 seconds (2.5 wind) for 1,132 points. Her previous best time in a heptathlon was 13.14, while her career best is 12.86 along with a windy 12.82.

Edwards ran 13.67 as the top collegian in the field of 15 and was second overall in generating 1,026 points. The previous best for Edwards in the heptathlon was 14.07 while her career best is a 13.35.

In the high jump, Edwards established an outdoor best of 5 feet, 8 inches for 891 points, while Brooks equaled her outdoor best of 5-11½) for 1,003 points.

Among nine heats in the 200, times for Arkansas included an outdoor best of 23.58 for Tiana Wilson, which ranked 12th among the 66 athletes who competed in the event. Kethlin Campbell ran 23.64, which ranked 13th, while Jayla Hollis had a 23.71 that ranked 15th and Jada Baylark posted a 23.98 to rank 21st.

Harding University’s Mitchell Kessler set a school record in the hammer throw with a toss of 196-6. Harding’s Fallou Gaye set a school record in the 400 hurdles with a time of 52.02. On the women’s side, Anne-Noelle Clerima placed 17th in the 400 with a season-best 55.75, her first NCAA provisional time of the season.