SPOKANE, Wash. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros track & field team had a strong opening day of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Indoor Championships at The Podium in Spokane, Wash. on Friday as freshman Symoria Adkins, graduate student Jada Hoffman and junior Aisha Gay set program records and junior Zoe Vlk won a bronze medal. 
 
Adkins advanced to finals and broke her own program record in the women's 60-meter hurdles, lowering the best time in school history at a third straight meet to 8.51. 
 
Hoffman's 7.51 women's 60-meter dash makes her the fastest woman to represent UTRGV or its legacy institutions. She advanced to finals in the 60-meter dash in dramatic fashion, tying with another student-athlete for the last spot in Saturday's race. After a closer look, Hoffman's time of 7.504 put her in the finals over her competitors time of 7.507. 
 
Gay broke the indoor program record in the women's 200-meter dash, running 24.29 to advance to the event's final race. She also advanced to finals in the women's 400-meter dash, clocking in at 56.36, which is tied for the fifth-best performance in the event in program history. 
 
UTRGV's throwers went 3-for-3 with personal records in the women's shot put, led by Vlk's bronze medal performance. She notched a throw of 14.97 meters. Graduate student Marlene Gutierrez also scored with a sixth-place finish, marking 14.42 meters, and reshman Hannah Hilding finished in 12^th. 
 
Freshman Rayja'nae Pettit made the podium in the women's long jump, taking fourth place with a mark of 5.78 meters. Freshman Jedidiah Udunna also scored in the men's long jump, hitting 7.14 meters to take seventh. Udunna's mark is the third best in program history and his fourth entry into the record books in the long jump. 
 
Freshman Ashley Lingueno finished 12^th in her first collegiate women's pentathlon, claiming the No. 2 spot in program history with 3,254 points. She recorded three personal records throughout the pentathlon, running 9.18 in the 60-meter hurdles, clearing 1.62 meters in the high jump and marking 5.44 meters in the long jump. 
 
The Vaqueros milers turned in three personal-best performances. Senior Edinburg North alum Tristan Pena finished 15^th in the men's mile, hitting a PR and the No. 8 best time in the event in program history at 4:14.89. 
 
Junior Uxia Pereira ran the fourth-best time in program history (8.67) in a 12^th place finish in the prelims of the women's 60-meter hurdles. Senior Yashawn Hamilton and Udunna clocked the sixth and tied for 10^th best times in program history, respectively, in the men's 60-meter dash. Adkins also turned in the ninth-fastest women's 200-meter dash race in program history as she finished 15^th in the prelims. Junior Jermarrion Stewart notched the fifth-best time in program history in the men's 200-meter dash preliminary race, running 21.81. 
 
In total, the Vaqueros hit an incredible 33 personal records during Day 1 of the conference meet. All four women's 60-meter dash contestants and all six women's 200-meter dash participants ran personal bests. The Vaqueros also made 11 entries into the indoor program record books. 
 
UTRGV's women's team sits in eighth place with 14 points after the opening day of competition. The men's team is in 10^th place with two points. The WAC Indoor Track & Field Championships conclude Saturday. Action starts at 12 p.m. with field events. 
 
FRIDAY RESULTS
Women's pentathlon 
12. Ashley Lingueno, 3,254 points 
• 2^nd most in program history 
 
Women's shot put
3. Zoe Vlk, 14.97m
6. Marlene Gutierrez, 14.42m
12. Hannah Hilding, 13.36m 
 
Women's long jump
4. Rayja'nae Pettit, 5.78m 
21. Jalyn Williams, 5.33m 
26. Nayla Harris, 5.14m 
 
Women's mile prelim
16. Samantha Gonzalez, 5:13.14
17. Ana Hernandez, 5:17.03 
18. Faith Cruz, 5:17.98 
 
Men's mile prelim
15. Tristan Pena, 4:14.89 
• 8^th fastest in program history 
 
Women's 60-meter hurdles prelim
6. Symoria Adkins, 8.51 (Advanced to finals) 
• Program Record 
12. Uxia Pereira, 8.67 
• 4^th fastest in program history 
 
Men's 60-meter hurdles prelim
13. Jaylen Critton, 8.73 
15. Alex Galvan, 9.01
 
Women's 60-meter dash prelim
8. Jada Hoffman, 7.51 (Advanced to finals) 
• Program Record 
23. Nayla Harris, 7.68 
27. Yaria Akers, 7.72 
37. Daniella Muniz, 7.94 
 
Men's 60-meter dash prelim
19. Yashawn Hamilton, 6.89
• 6^th fastest in program history 
23. Jedidiah Udunna, 6.92 
• T-10^th fastest in program history 
25. Jaleel Scott, 6.95 
27. Jermarrion Stewart, 7.02  
 
Men's long jump
7. Jedidiah Udunna, 7.14m 
15. Marco Guajardo, 6.61m 
 
Women's 400-meter dash prelim
6. Aisha Gay, 56.36 (Advanced to finals) 
• T-5^th fastest in program history 
18. Jalyn Williams, 59.12 
26. Aliyah Castillo, 59.86 
27. Ja'Nyla Tucker, 59.92 
 
Men's 400-meter dash prelim
11. Sam Johnson II, 48.95 
20. Jaqualand Fields, 49.85 
22. Derrius Henry, 50.46 
24. Jorge Salazar, 50.71 
 
Women's 800-meter run prelim
13. Estrella Medellin, 2:20.49 
 
Men's 800-meter run prelim
19. Sebastian Salinas, 1:55.15 
 
Women's 200-meter dash prelim
5. Aisha Gay, 24.29 (Advanced to finals) 
• Program Record 
15. Symoria Adkins, 24.82 
• 9^th fastest in program history 
26. Jada Hoffman, 25.02 
31. Yaria Akers, 25.34 
38. Uxia Pereira, 25.77 
39. Daniella Muniz, 25.93 
 
Men's 200-meter dash prelim
14. Jermarrion Stewart, 21.81 
• 5^th fastest in program history 
30. Yashawn Hamilton, 22.36 
33. Jaylen Critton, 22.69 
34. Jaleel Scott, 23.00 
 
Women's 5,000-meter run
17. Janie Delgado, 19:15.50 
 
Men's distance medley relay
9. Tristan Pena, Jorge Salazar, Alex Canales, Sebastian Salinas, 10:29.89 
 
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
Women's high jump, 12 p.m. 
Ashley Lingueno
 
Men's high jump, 12:15 p.m. 
Noel Asiedu 
 
Women's weight throw, 2 p.m. 
Marlene Gutierrez
Hannah Hilding 
Zoe Vlk 
 
Women's triple jump, 2 p.m. 
Rayja'nae Pettit 
 
Men's triple jump, 4:30 p.m. 
Marco Guajardo 
 
Women's 60-meter hurdles finals, 4:55 p.m. 
Symoria Adkins 
 
Women's 60-meter dash finals, 5:15 p.m. 
Jada Hoffman
 
Women's 400-meter dash finals, 5:40 p.m. 
Aisha Gay
 
Women's 200-meter dash finals, 6:20 p.m. 
Aisha Gay
 
Women's 3,000-meter run, 7:10 p.m. 
Faith Cruz 
Janie Delgado 
Samantha Gonzalez 
Ana Hernandez 
 
Men's 3,000-meter run, 7:10 p.m. 
Alex Canales 
Abraham Morales
Tristan Pena 
Sebastian Salinas 
 
*Women's 4x400-meter relay, 7:40 p.m. 
Aliyah Castillo, Aisha Gay, Ashley Lingueno, Ja'Nyla Tucker, Jalyn Williams 
 
*Men's 4x400-meter relay, 7:45 p.m. 
Jaylen Critton, Jaqualand Fields, Alex Galvan, Derrius Henry, Sam Johnson II, Jermarrion Stewart 
 
*The men's and women's 4x400m relays will not be run until the completion of all field events 

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