HOUSTON – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) outdoor track & field teams took the J. Fred Duckett Twilight by storm Saturday, setting two program records and capturing seven event wins at Rice's Wendel D. Ley Track & Holloway Field – the host site of the Southland Conference (SLC) Outdoor Championships. 
 
Senior Samantha Gonzalez was victorious in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase in a program record time of 10:36.73 – nearly 20 seconds faster than her previous personal best. 
 
UTRGV swept the 4x100-meter relay wins. The men's team comprised of sophomore Weslaco East alum Gael Romo, junior Jamari Harts, freshman Richard Young and junior Corin Burns won with a season-best time of 39.93, which is a program record and the first sub-40 time in program history. In the women's relay, freshmen Krystan Bright and Jizzale Davis, junior Brownsville Hanna alum Aliyah Castillo and junior Nayla Harris finished first in 44.83, the second-best time in program history. 
 
Those eight were among the standouts on Saturday, combining to win four individual events. Harris and Romo won the women's and men's 100-meter dashes, respectively, while Davis and Burns did the same in the women's and men's 200-meter races. 
 
Harris tabbed the eight-best time in program history in the women's 100, clocking in at 11.64. Davis finished third in the event before winning the 200 in a personal best time of 23.69, good for the fifth-best race in program history. Romo ran 10.59 to take the top spot in the men's 100 and was followed closely by Young, who took second in 10.60. Burns ran the No. 5 time in program history, 21.10, to win the men's 200 and sophomore Brownsville Hanna alum Alejandro Arellano followed in third. 
 
Adding to the sprints success were senior Zoe Adams and junior Derrius Henry, who both took second in the 400-meter dashes. Adams won the women's race in a season-best time of 54.14, and Castillo ran a personal best to finish seventh. Henry was the runner-up in the men's race in 47.47, followed closely by Harts who took fourth. 
 
Bright was solid in the hurdles, too, earning a pair of second-place finishes in the afternoon session of the 100-meter hurdles and evening session of the 400-meter hurdles. Bright bested all conference opponents in both races. Freshman Trezur Connley took third in the women's 100-meter hurdles in the evening session. Rounding out the hurdles performances was junior Jaylen Critton, who took second in the afternoon session of the men's 110-meter hurdles and was fourth in the evening session of the 400-meter hurdles. 
 
Junior thrower Hannah Hilding had a big day with a full program, competing in three women's throwing events and making three finals. She tabbed a season-best 57.18 meters to take second in hammer and was third in discus with a personal-best 49.55 meters mark. Hilding finished eighth in shot put. Senior Efe Latham finished fourth in shot put and took sixth in hammer. 
 
Junior Achol Maywin remained consistent in the women's high jump. For the third meet this season and second in a row, Maywin cleared 1.72 meters, tying her outdoor personal best and the No. 3 mark in program history. She took third in the event. 
 
In the men's triple jump, junior Aaron Cooper took second with a mark of 15.01 meters and sophomore Hebrew Hunter followed in fourth. Sophomore La'Zariah Bethany and junior Tolu Odetola finished fourth and eighth, respectively, in the women's triple jump. Sophomore Keamonie Archie was fifth in the men's long jump with a season-best mark of 7.38 meters. Senior Kailah Gilmore took sixth in the women's long jump with a mark of 5.71 meters. 
 
The men's 800-meter run duo of freshman PSJA Memorial alum Diego Pina and sophomore Mario Cantarero both ran personal bests Saturday. Pina finished 13^th and Cantarero was 15^th. In the women's 800, junior Lilliana Guerrero led the Vaqueros trio with a sixth-place finish and sophomore Kailey Salazar came in seventh. Redshirt sophomore Rio Grande City alum Emily Martinez ran a personal best in the afternoon session of the women's 400. 
 
The long-distance races capped the day, running well after the sun had set in Houston. Junior PSJA High alum Faith Cruz took eighth in the women's 5,000-meter run in a personal best time of 17:52.57. Junior Abraham Morales tabbed a personal record 3:55.29 in the men's 1,500-meter run. 
 
UTRGV finished the one-day meet with 10 personal bests and made seven entries into the program record books. The Vaqueros will be back in action May 3 at Texas A&M's Alumni Muster in Bryan-College Station, Texas. 
 
UTRGV Results 
FIELD EVENTS
Women's hammer
2. Hannah Hilding, 57.18m 
6. Efe Latham, 48.57m 
 
Women's long jump 
6. Kailah Gilmore, 5.71m 
 
Women's triple jump 
4. La'Zariah Bethany, 12.09m 
8. Tolu Odetola, 11.78m 
 
Men's long jump
5. Keamonie Archie, 7.38m 
 
Men's triple jump 
2. Aaron Cooper, 15.01m 
4. Hebrew Hunter, 14.69m 
 
Women's discus 
3. Hannah Hilding, 49.55m 
11. Adelaide Fleischmann, 43.14m 
 
Women's high jump 
3. Achol Maywin, 1.72m 
· T-3^rd in program history 
 
Women's shot put
4. Efe Latham, 14.24m 
8. Hannah Hilding, 13.48m 
 
RUNNING EVENTS – Afternoon Session 
Women's 100-meter hurdles
2. Krystan Bright, 14.60 
 
Men's 110-meter hurdles 
2. Jaylen Critton, 14.71 
 
Women's 100-meter dash 
6. Trezur Connley, 12.77 
 
Men's 100-meter dash 
13. Jalen Nero, 11.18 
 
Women's 400-meter dash 
11. Emily Martinez, 1:00.98 
 
Men's 200-meter dash 
6. Gael Romo, 22.28 
7. Jalen Nero, 22.29 
 
RUNNING EVENTS – Evening Session 
Women's 4x100-meter relay
1. Krystan Bright, Jizzale Davis, Aliyah Castillo, Nayla Harris, 44.83 
· 2^nd in program history 
 
Men's 4x100-meter relay 
1. Gael Romo, Jamari Harts, Richard Young, Corin Burns, 39.93 
· Program Record 
 
Women's 400-meter hurdles 
2. Krystan Bright, 1:02.44 
 
Men's 400-meter hurdles 
4. Jaylen Critton, 53.49 
 
Women's 400-meter dash 
2. Zoe Adams, 54.14 
6. Trinity Kirk, 56.83
7. Aliyah Castillo, 57.06 
11. Lani Brewer, 58.71 
 
Men's 400-meter dash
2. Derrius Henry, 47.47
4. Jamari Harts, 47.56 
13. Alejandro Arellano, 51.94 
 
Women's 100-meter dash 
1. Nayla Harris, 11.64 
· 8^th in program history 
3. Jizzale Davis, 11.94 
 
Men's 100-meter dash 
1. Gael Romo, 10.59 
2. Richard Young, 10.60 
Corin Burns, DQ
 
Women's 100-meter hurdles 
3. Trezur Connley, 14.25 
 
Women's 800-meter run 
6. Lilliana Guerrero, 2:13.03
7. Kailey Salazar, 2:13.41 
16. Mia Picazo, 2:17.34 
 
Men's 800-meter run
13. Diego Pina, 1:54.27 
15. Mario Cantarero, 1:54.72 
 
Women's 200-meter dash
1. Jizzale Davis, 23.69 
· 5^th in program history 
4. Zoe Adams, 24.63 
7. Nayla Harris, 25.01 
 
Men's 200-meter dash 
1. Corin Burns, 21.10 
· 5^th in program history 
3. Alejandro Arellano, 21.52 
 
Women's 3,000-meter steeplechase 
1. Samantha Gonzalez, 10:36.73 
· Program Record 
 
Men's 1,500-meter run
13. Abraham Morales, 3:55.29 
 
Men's 5,000-meter run
Kevin Cardenas 
 
Women's 5,000-meter run 
8. Faith Cruz, 17:52.57 

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