AUSTIN, Texas - Only two members of the Southeastern Louisiana men's and women's track and field teams competed in the first day of the prestigious four-day Texas Relays in Austin, but the Lions made the most of it as freshman distance runner Henry Rop took first place in the 5000 m run and junior distance runner Everlyn Matonyei narrowly missed out on a top-10 finish in a crowded field in the women's 5K as day one of the Texas Relays came to a close late Wedndesday night.
The 5 ft. 5 in. Rop claimed first with a time of 14:13.39 in the 5K, hanging on down the stretch to beat UTEP's Japheth Ng'ojoy by 1.61 seconds, falling one second short of an NCAA Regional Qualifying mark.
"Henry was awesome tonight," Southeastern track and field coach Sean Brady said. "Winning at a big event like this the way he did is no easy feat, especially for a freshman. He got in there and mixed it up with some really strong competition and just ran a great race."
On the women's side, junior Everlyn Matonyei clocked in at 18:12.25 in the women's 5000 m run, finishing behind tenth-place conference rival Anabelle Everitt of UT-Arlington, to narrowly miss a top-ten finish in a crowded field.
"Everylyn didn't have her best race, but she's training hard and I expect she'll be where we need her very soon," Brady said.
The Lions and Lady Lions will return to action tomorrow when the Texas Relays get under way with day two of the four day meet. Highlighting the events for the Southeastern will be the women's hammer throw, featuring senior thrower Collenna Collins, and the 400 m hurdles featuring sophomore hurdler Adlus Wiltz.
"Collenna and Adlus have looked good during the indoor season and in training for the outdoor season," Brady said. "If they compete the way we know they can, then we should have a very productive second day."
The 5 ft. 5 in. Rop claimed first with a time of 14:13.39 in the 5K, hanging on down the stretch to beat UTEP's Japheth Ng'ojoy by 1.61 seconds, falling one second short of an NCAA Regional Qualifying mark.
"Henry was awesome tonight," Southeastern track and field coach Sean Brady said. "Winning at a big event like this the way he did is no easy feat, especially for a freshman. He got in there and mixed it up with some really strong competition and just ran a great race."
On the women's side, junior Everlyn Matonyei clocked in at 18:12.25 in the women's 5000 m run, finishing behind tenth-place conference rival Anabelle Everitt of UT-Arlington, to narrowly miss a top-ten finish in a crowded field.
"Everylyn didn't have her best race, but she's training hard and I expect she'll be where we need her very soon," Brady said.
The Lions and Lady Lions will return to action tomorrow when the Texas Relays get under way with day two of the four day meet. Highlighting the events for the Southeastern will be the women's hammer throw, featuring senior thrower Collenna Collins, and the 400 m hurdles featuring sophomore hurdler Adlus Wiltz.
"Collenna and Adlus have looked good during the indoor season and in training for the outdoor season," Brady said. "If they compete the way we know they can, then we should have a very productive second day."