ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Prior to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Indoor Track & Field Championships, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) sophomore Symoria Adkins said she and her team were going in as underdogs but were ready to do big things. 
 
She was right. 
 
Adkins put on a show throughout the two-day meet, solidifying herself as one of the top competitors in the conference. She won gold in the women's 60-meter hurdles, earned silver in the 200-meter dash and took fifth in the 60-meter dash to contribute 22 points to the women's team score. 
 
The sophomore triple threat backed an outstanding performance from the Vaqueros women, who finished fourth with 83 points as the meet wrapped up Tuesday at the Albuquerque Convention Center. 
 
UTRGV's men's team finished eighth with 29 points. Grand Canyon won the women's team title while Southern Utah claimed the men's title. 
 
Senior Aisha Gay and junior Zoë Adams also impressed as part of a big day from the women's sprinters. Gay and Adams took silver and bronze, respectively, in the 400-meter dash. Gay's time of 55.32 is seventh-fastest in program history and Adams ran 55.34 to take the eighth spot in the record books. 
 
In the women's 200, Adkins' second-place time of 24.01 is the best in school history – it's Adkins' third indoor program record. Gay finished fourth in 24.19, good for third-best in history, and Adams was eighth in 24.48, the ninth-fastest in the books. The terrific trio collected 14 points in the event. 
 
Sophomore Hannah Hilding added a bronze medal to her impressive championship outing. She notched her second personal best of the meet with a toss of 14.31 meters in the women's shot put, using her last attempt to rise up to third in the standings. Freshman Omolola Kuponiyi followed closely in fourth with a mark of 13.98 meters. The duo combined to score 11 points. 
 
Sophomore Nayla Harris was seventh in the women's 60 dash, running 7.50, the fifth-fastest race in school history. Adkins tabbed the No. 2 times in the record books in her 60 hurdles and 60 dash races. 
 
Freshman Weslaco East alum Gael Romo earned a bronze medal at his first conference meet, taking third in the men's 60-meter dash in 6.78, the fifth-best time in school history. Freshman Jamari Harts followed in seventh with a time of 6.86, tying the eight-best performance. 
 
Junior Jermarrion Stewart set a program record in the men's 400-meter dash, running 47.21 to finish sixth. Freshman James Voss was eighth in the men's 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.33. 
 
UTRGV's strong jumping meet continued Tuesday as the Vaqueros turned their attention to triple jump. Junior Gabrielle Thomas took fifth in the women's triple, claiming the fifth-best mark in program history of 12.19 meters. Junior Tolu Odetola followed in seventh, jumping a personal best 11.96 meters, good for ninth-best in school history. 
 
In the men's triple, freshman Aaron Cooper notched a personal best mark of 14.89 meters to finish fifth with the fourth-best jump in school history. Junior Kevin Washington (14.79 meters) was ninth with the sixth-best mark in history, freshman Hebrew Hunter (14.65 meters) was 10^th with the No. 8 jump in the record books and sophomore Jedidiah Udunna marked a personal best 14.48 meters to finish 11^th. 
 
Freshman Antoine Walker was ninth in the men's shot put, launching a massive personal best of 15.25 meters to end his first ever season competing indoors. 
 
UTRGV's men's 4x400-meter relay team of sophomore Derrius Henry, Stewart, junior Emmanuel Wanga and sophomore Sam Johnson II broke the program record to finish fourth in 3:12.38. 
 
The women's 4x400-meter relay team of sophomore Brownsville Hanna alum Aliyah Castillo, Gay, freshman Kailey Salazar and Adams also broke the program record in a sixth-place finish, running 3:49.24. 
 
The Vaqueros tabbed four program records, seven personal bests and made 18 entries into the indoor record books Tuesday. 
 
Team Standings 
Women

Pl.	Team	Points
1.	Grand Canyon	131
2.	UT Arlington	118
3.	Utah Valley	101
4.	UTRGV	83
5.	Southern Utah	57
6.	Abilene Christian	52
T7.	Stephen F. Austin	45
T7.	Tarleton State	45
9.	Utah Tech	17
10.	Seattle U	13

 
Men

Pl.	Team	Points
1.	Southern Utah	171
T2.	Grand Canyon	99.50
T2.	UT Arlington	99.50
4.	Stephen F. Austin	83
5.	Utah Valley	65
6.	Tarleton State	52
7.	Abilene Christian	48
8.	UTRGV	29
9.	Seattle U	13

 
UTRGV Tuesday Results 
Women's shot put
3. Hannah Hilding, 14.31m
4. Omolola Kuponiyi, 13.98m 
 
Women's triple jump
5. Gabrielle Thomas, 12.19m 
· 5^th best in program history 
7. Tolu Odetola, 11.96m 
· 9^th best in program history 
12. Rayja'nae Pettit, 11.62m 
 
Men's triple jump
5. Aaron Cooper, 14.89m
· 4^th best in program history 
9. Kevin Washington, 14.79m
· 6^th best in program history  
10. Hebrew Hunter, 14.65m
· 8^th best in program history 
11. Jedidiah Udunna, 14.48m 
 
Men's shot put
9. Antoine Walker, 15.25m 
 
Men's 60-meter hurdles 
8. James Voss, 8.33
 
Women's 60-meter hurdles
1. Symoria Adkins, 8.31 
· 2^nd fastest in program history 
 
Men's 400-meter dash
6. Jermarrion Stewart, 47.21 
· Program Record
 
Women's 400-meter dash
2. Aisha Gay, 55.32 
· 7^th fastest in program history 
3. Zoë Adams, 55.34
· 8^th fastest in program history 
 
Men's 60-meter dash
3. Gael Romo, 6.78
· 5^th fastest in program history 
7. Jamari Harts, 6.86 
· T-8^th fastest in program history 
 
Women's 60-meter dash
5. Symoria Adkins, 7.45 
· 2^nd fastest in program history 
7. Nayla Harris, 7.50 
· 5^th fastest in program history 
 
Women's 200-meter dash
2. Symoria Adkins, 24.01
· Program Record
4. Aisha Gay, 24.19 
· 3^rd fastest in program history 
8. Zoë Adams, 24.48 
· 9^th fastest in program history 
 
Men's 4x400-meter relay 
4. Derrius Henry, Jermarrion Stewart, Emmanuel Wanga, Sam Johnson II, 3:12.38 
· Program Record
 
Women's 4x400-meter relay 
6. Aliyah Castillo, Aisha Gay, Kailey Salazar, Zoë Adams, 3:49.24 
· Program Record

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