NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's track & field team captured two championships and finished second in the team standings Saturday during the final day of competition at the Southland Conference (SLC) Outdoor Championships at Homer Bryce Stadium. 
 
The women's 4x100-meter relay team got the evening session started with a bang as they ran 44.74 to claim the gold medal in a thrilling race. Redshirt junior Ashley Lingueno got the relay started strong out of the blocks, then the sensational sophomore Jizzale Davis gained ground on the first straightaway. Freshman Dior Williams handled the second curve well and executed a clean handoff to senior Kaliyah Poston who brought it home strong to secure the big win. 
 
Freshman Talyna Ligier captured her first individual conference title as she was victorious in the women's 400-meter hurdles. Ligier closed the race incredibly strong in the final 200 meters as she broke her own program record by running 59.24.  
 
The UTRGV women collected 126 points, finishing only behind defending outdoor champion Northwestern State, which recorded 147.50 points. The Vaqueros used a program record-setting 4x400-meter relay performance from senior Brownsville Hanna alum Aliyah Castillo, Davis, Ligier and junior Treasure Vallerie to overtake host Stephen F. Austin for the runner-up spot in the standings in the final event of the night. The relay ran 3:37.17 to capture the silver medal. SFA ended up in third with 122 points. 
 
Davis had a phenomenal meet, adding a pair of silver medals to her relay hardware in the short sprints. She set a program and personal record in the women's 200-meter dash, running 23.30 to finish second. She hit another personal best and ran the No. 3 time in outdoor program history as she ran 11.42 to take second in the women's 100-meter dash. Davis took home four total medals – one gold and three silver. 
 
Poston put plenty of points on the board for the Vaqueros, too. She was third in the women's 200, running a personal best time of 23.34, good for No. 2 in the outdoor record books. In the women's 100, she was fifth in 11.60. 
 
Vallerie left Nacogdoches with two program records after also taking the top spot in the record books in the women's 400-meter dash. She ran 52.35 to finish fourth in the event. 
 
Junior N Vanee Anchike, the SLC Women's Indoor and Cross Country Newcomer of the Year, was tremendous on the conference stage once again. She grabbed two silver medals in the 1,500-meter run and 800-meter run and was ninth in the 5,000-meter run. In the 1,500, Anchike set a program record with a time of 4:14.41 to finish second in an incredibly deep field. She led UTRGV's tremendous 800 group running 2:10.41. Anchike's 5,000 time of 17:35.51 took the 10^thspot in the program record books. 
 
Junior Kailey Salazar, senior Lilliana Guerrero and sophomore Santa Maria alum Mia Picazo followed Anchike in fourth, fifth and sixth place, racking up massive points for the Vaqueros. 
 
Williams was another youngster who produced big for the Vaqueros women's team. She picked up the silver medal in the 100-meter hurdles, running 13.36, which is the fifth-best time in program history. Sophomore Trezur Connley tabbed a personal best 13.77 to finish fifth in the short hurdles. 
 
Junior Nirmit Dahiya got on the podium in the men's 1,500-meter run. The race was tight throughout and came down to a photo finish as all three medalists ran 3:48. Dahiya clocked in at 3:48.76, just .03 behind the runner up, to claim bronze with the fourth-fastest time in program history. Dahiya also picked up a fifth-place finish in the men's 5,000-meter race, running a personal best time of 14:31.47, which is the fifth-best race in the record books. Senior Abraham Morales was eighth in the men's 1,500 in 3:52.81. 
 
Senior Daniel Siaffa led UTRGV's men's 110-meter hurdlers with a fourth-place finish. He ran a program and personal best time of 13.84 in a tight race. Siaffa added a fifth-place finish in the men's 400-meter hurdles, running 51.48 to take the No. 6 spot in the program record books. In the 110-meter race, junior Jefferson Jean and freshman JaDan Keiler finished fifth and seventh, respectively. Jean ran 13.97, which is the third-fastest race in school history, and Keiler finished in 14.46. 
 
The men's hurdle squad aided a strong performance in the men's 4x400-meter relay to end the day for UTRGV. Junior Brownsville Hanna alum Alejandro Arellano, Keiler, senior Jaylen Critton and Siaffa combined to run 3:11.03, the No. 4 time in program history, in a fifth-place finish. 
 
Freshman Antwoine Warren took fifth in men's high jump with a clearance of 2.08 meters. Senior Derrius Henry battled through an injury to finish eighth in the men's 400-meter dash. The men's 4x100-meter relay team of junior Weslaco East alum Gael Romo, Henry, Critton and Arellano also tabbed an eighth-place finish in 41.64. 
 
Freshman Trina Hubert took 17^th in the women's discus. 
 
UTRGV's men finished seventh in the team standings with 44 points. SFA won the men's team title with 164 points, followed by Northwestern State (124) and UIW (117).
 
UTRGV combined to set a whopping six program records Saturday, notching nine personal bests and making 16 entries into the outdoor top 10 lists. Across the three days of the conference meet, the Vaqueros won three championships in women's events and racked up 13 medals. They set seven total program bests at Homer Bryce Stadium, saving their best day for last. 
 
Qualifying student-athletes will compete next at the NCAA West First Round May 27-30 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. 
 
UTRGV RESULTS
Field Events 
Women's discus
17. Trina Hubert, 42.34m 
 
Men's high jump 
5. Antwoine Warren, 2.08m 
T-13. Paul Agba, 1.93m 
T-13. Zaire Cunningham, 1.93m  
 
Track Events (All Finals) 
Women's 4x100-meter relay
1. Ashley Lingueno, Jizzale Davis, Dior Williams, Kaliyah Poston, 44.74 
· 2^nd in program history 
 
Men's 4x100-meter relay
8. Gael Romo, Derrius Henry, Jaylen Critton, Alejandro Arellano, 41.64 
 
Women's 1,500-meter run
2. N Vanee Anchike, 4:14.41 
· Program Record 
 
Men's 1,500-meter run 
3. Nirmit Dahiya, 3:48.76 
· 4^th in program history 
8. Abraham Morales, 3:52.81 
 
Women's 100-meter hurdles 
2. Dior Williams, 13.36 
· 5^th in program history 
5. Trezur Connley, 13.77 
 
Men's 110-meter hurdles 
4. Daniel Siaffa, 13.84
· Program Record 
5. Jefferson Jean, 13.97 
· 3^rd in program history 
7. JaDan Keiler, 14.46 
 
Women's 400-meter dash 
4. Treasure Vallerie, 52.35 
· Program Record 
 
Men's 400-meter dash
8. Derrius Henry, 51.18 
 
Women's 100-meter dash 
2. Jizzale Davis, 11.42 
· 3^rd in program history 
5. Kaliyah Poston, 11.60 
 
Women's 800-meter run
2. N Vanee Anchike, 2:10.41 
4. Kailey Salazar, 2:13.22
5. Lilliana Guerrero, 2:14.97 
6. Mia Picazo, 2:15.08 
 
Women's 400-meter hurdles
1. Talyna Ligier, 59.24
· Program Record 
 
Men's 400-meter hurdles 
5. Daniel Siaffa, 51.48 
· 6^th in program history 
 
Women's 200-meter dash 
2. Jizzale Davis, 23.30 
· Program Record 
3. Kaliyah Poston, 23.34
· 2^nd in program history 
 
Women's 5,000-meter run 
9. N Vanee Anchike, 17:35.51
· 10^th in program history 
 
Men's 5,000-meter run 
5. Nirmit Dahiya, 14:31.47 
· 5^th in program history 
 
Women's 4x400-meter relay 
2. Aliyah Castillo, Jizzale Davis, Talyna Ligier, Treasure Vallerie, 3:37.17 
· Program Record 
 
Men's 4x400-meter relay 
5. Alejandro Arellano, JaDan Keiler, Jaylen Critton, Daniel Siaffa, 3:11.03
· 4^th in program history 
 
TEAM STANDINGS 
WOMEN
1. Northwestern State, 147.50 points 
2. UTRGV, 126
3. SFA, 122
4. Lamar, 98.50
5. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 91.50
6. East Texas A&M, 90
7. UIW, 54
8. McNeese, 33
9. Southeastern, 24
10. HCU, 10.50
11. Nicholls, 10
12. New Orleans, 8
 
MEN
1. SFA, 164 points 
2. Northwestern State, 124
3. UIW, 117
4. East Texas A&M, 97
5. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 81
6. Lamar, 54
7. UTRGV, 44
8. HCU, 41
9. New Orleans, 33
10. Southeastern, 30
11. McNeese, 26
12. Nicholls, 7

Support UTRGV Track & Field | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube