FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The UTSA track & field squad closed out the four-day NCAA West First Round competition at John McDonnell Field on Saturday. A pair of women’s Roadrunners, Edlin Laur and Ayumi Kobayashi were in action, as UTSA finished up with four individual qualifiers and two relays heading to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
A freshman from Tallinn, Estonia, and the UTSA high jump record-holder, Laur reached 1.76m (5-9.25) to finish 19th in the 48-jumper field. Laur also finished fourth in the American Athletic Conference high jump and 10th in the heptathlon during her inaugural outdoor season.
In the evening, Kobayashi delivered her second career-best of the weekend after moving to No. 2 on the UTSA all-time list in the opening heats. The Funabashi, Japan senior went 13.29 on Saturday to finish 19th in the quarterfinal. Kobayashi finished fourth in the event at the AAC Championships earlier this month.
Among the Roadrunners traveling to the June 5-8 NCAA Nationals at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Sydney, Australia senior Gabriel Binion got UTSA started with a 10th-place 7.73m (25-4.25) long jump on the opening day. Making her second rookie season national championships appearance, Fredrikstad, Norway indoor All-American Ida Breigan also advanced in the women’s long jump with a fourth-place 6.72m (22-0.75). On Friday, East London, England freshman Nabil Tezkratt clocked a UTSA season-best 45.85 in the 400m quarterfinal and moved to fourth on the UTSA list. Bridgetown, Barbados junior Jemuel Miller punched his ticket to his second career Nationals appearance with a 12th-place 15.76m (51-8.5) measurement in the triple jump. Miller earned indoor and outdoor All-America honors in 2022 and set the UTSA triple jump record this season during the Texas Invitational in April – earning the silver medal at The American Championships.
The UTSA men’s relays rose to the occasion on Friday; both the 4x100m and 4x400m squads moved on to the next round. The 4x100m foursome of freshman Martín Kouyoumdjian, Tezkratt, junior Brice Chabot and Binion combined for a 39.37-second clocking as automatic qualifiers in their heat and ninth overall. The 4x400m quartet locked up a new UTSA record at 3:03.72 and produced an eighth-place finish for Kouyoumdjian, junior Noah Rhodes, Tezkratt and junior Mike Roth. Tezkratt paces UTSA with qualifications in three events.
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