{"id":293899,"date":"2026-05-15T03:03:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T03:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/293899\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T03:03:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T03:03:10","slug":"puryear-breaks-program-record-on-opening-day-of-wac-championships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/293899\/","title":{"rendered":"Puryear Breaks Program Record on Opening Day of WAC Championships"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n                    &#13;<br \/>\n                        Story Links&#13;<br \/>\n                        &#13;<\/p>\n<p>                     ARLINGTON, Texas\u00a0\u2013 The UT Arlington track &amp; field team started postseason competition Thursday at the WAC Outdoor Track &amp; Field Championships. Senior <a href=\"https:\/\/utamavs.com\/sports\/track-and-field\/roster\/jaalah-puryear\/14816\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"14816\" target=\"_blank\">Jaalah Puryear<\/a> led the Mavericks with a broken program record performance in the women&#8217;s hammer throw.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nPuryear earned a second-place finish in the event with a throw of 56.95m, breaking her own school record previously set earlier this season at the Clyde Hart Classic (56.90m). The senior has broken the outdoor hammer program record twice and holds the indoor hammer program record \u2013 all accomplished in her senior campaign.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nUTA also scored valuable points in the throwing events as sophomore <a href=\"https:\/\/utamavs.com\/sports\/track-and-field\/roster\/esther-adedire\/14765\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"14765\" target=\"_blank\">Esther Adedire<\/a> recorded a personal-best mark of 52.41m in the women&#8217;s hammer throw, while <a href=\"https:\/\/utamavs.com\/sports\/track-and-field\/roster\/logan-villalva\/11757\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"11757\" target=\"_blank\">Logan Villalva<\/a> placed fifth with a throw of 55.31m. Adedire also finished fifth in her event.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nIn the women&#8217;s pole vault, senior <a href=\"https:\/\/utamavs.com\/sports\/track-and-field\/roster\/simona-cabella\/11691\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"11691\" target=\"_blank\">Simona Cabella<\/a> earned silver with a clearance of 3.80m. Freshman <a href=\"https:\/\/utamavs.com\/sports\/track-and-field\/roster\/ava-lin\/14826\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"14826\" target=\"_blank\">Ava Lin<\/a> followed in third place at 3.70m, while junior <a href=\"https:\/\/utamavs.com\/sports\/track-and-field\/roster\/sophia-allen\/14770\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"14770\" target=\"_blank\">Sophia Allen<\/a> placed fifth with a mark of 3.60m.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nJunior <a href=\"https:\/\/utamavs.com\/sports\/track-and-field\/roster\/eliza-lemberga\/14810\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"14810\" target=\"_blank\">Eliza Lemberga<\/a> finished third in the women&#8217;s javelin with a throw of 44.34m. Lemberga also sits atop the heptathlon standings after day one with 3,197 points, highlighted by a first-place finish in the shot put (13.09m) and a runner-up finish in the high jump (1.65m)<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nIn the women&#8217;s 10K, <a href=\"https:\/\/utamavs.com\/sports\/track-and-field\/roster\/dorcas-jepkosgei\/14808\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"14808\" target=\"_blank\">Dorcas Jepkosgei<\/a> captured a silver medal with a time of 34:52.44, while Matroline Jepkemboi placed fifth in 36:33.19. In the men&#8217;s 10K, <a href=\"https:\/\/utamavs.com\/sports\/track-and-field\/roster\/toby-eaton\/14776\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"14776\" target=\"_blank\">Toby Eaton<\/a> placed fourth with a personal best time of 30:55.47.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nMultiple Mavericks also advanced to finals in Thursday&#8217;s preliminary events. <a href=\"https:\/\/utamavs.com\/sports\/track-and-field\/roster\/emilia-mandl\/14812\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"14812\" target=\"_blank\">Emilia Mandl<\/a> (4:44.01) and <a href=\"https:\/\/utamavs.com\/sports\/track-and-field\/roster\/linn-adolfsson\/14766\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"14766\" target=\"_blank\">Linn Adolfsson<\/a> (4:44.02) qualified for the women&#8217;s 1500m final after placing fifth and sixth, respectively. In the men&#8217;s 1500m prelim, <a href=\"https:\/\/utamavs.com\/sports\/track-and-field\/roster\/mateo-doherty\/14775\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"14775\" target=\"_blank\">Mateo Doherty<\/a> (third place, 3:53.51) and <a href=\"https:\/\/utamavs.com\/sports\/track-and-field\/roster\/alex-kalmar\/14784\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"14784\" target=\"_blank\">Alex Kalmar<\/a> (sixth, 3:56.05) qualified to the finals. <a href=\"https:\/\/utamavs.com\/sports\/track-and-field\/roster\/alexis-cain\/11739\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"11739\" target=\"_blank\">Alexis Cain<\/a> (sixth place, 23.75), <a href=\"https:\/\/utamavs.com\/sports\/track-and-field\/roster\/eli-england\/14779\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"14779\" target=\"_blank\">Eli England<\/a> (fourth place, 20.88) and <a href=\"https:\/\/utamavs.com\/sports\/track-and-field\/roster\/jayden-haynes\/14855\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"14855\" target=\"_blank\">Jayden Haynes<\/a> (21.18) all qualified to the 200-meter final. Senior <a href=\"https:\/\/utamavs.com\/sports\/track-and-field\/roster\/zaire-moore\/11743\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"11743\" target=\"_blank\">Zaire Moore<\/a> (seventh place, 1:02.87) qualified to the final in the women&#8217;s 400-meter hurdles, while freshman Davin Payne (sixth place, 53.38) qualified on the men&#8217;s side.<br \/>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>NEXT UP<br \/>&#13;<br \/>\nUTA will begin day two of WAC Outdoor Track &amp; Field Championships with combined events Friday morning. The decathlon resumes at 9 a.m., with the men&#8217;s 110-meter hurdles, while the heptathlon continues at 9:15 a.m., with long jump.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0&#13;\n<\/p>\n<p>&#8212; #BuckEm \u2013<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<br \/>\nFOLLOW ALONG<br \/>\nFollow the UTA track and field and cross-country teams on X (<a href=\"https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FUTAMavsTFXC&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ckensley.walters%40uta.edu%7C1b5df67e15e541eafd4608dea26dcea3%7C5cdc5b43d7be4caa8173729e3b0a62d9%7C0%7C0%7C639126789684403919%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=CG0IpPS8WRoCLV%2FqSJSNknLbCf9FqiEeTQ41leQ40eQ%3D&amp;reserved=0\" title=\"https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FUTAMavsTFXC&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ckensley.walters%40uta.edu%7C1b5df67e15e541eafd4608dea26dcea3%7C5cdc5b43d7be4caa8173729e3b0a62d9%7C0%7C0%7C639126789684403919%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@UTAMavsTFXC<\/a>), Instagram (<a href=\"https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Futamavstfxc%2F%3Fhl%3Den&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ckensley.walters%40uta.edu%7C1b5df67e15e541eafd4608dea26dcea3%7C5cdc5b43d7be4caa8173729e3b0a62d9%7C0%7C0%7C639126789684434681%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=qYmFbHLCMQe1noJhPVmjFyJrIuUvdSrikEZ8zeffxHI%3D&amp;reserved=0\" title=\"https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Futamavstfxc%2F%3Fhl%3Den&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ckensley.walters%40uta.edu%7C1b5df67e15e541eafd4608dea26dcea3%7C5cdc5b43d7be4caa8173729e3b0a62d9%7C0%7C0%7C639126789684434681%7CUn\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@UTAMavsTFXC<\/a>) and Facebook (<a href=\"https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FUTAMavsTFXC&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ckensley.walters%40uta.edu%7C1b5df67e15e541eafd4608dea26dcea3%7C5cdc5b43d7be4caa8173729e3b0a62d9%7C0%7C0%7C639126789684456617%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=IW989KNNhRFNG0bHEK%2BNULrJ%2Fmi9ogfRtFK%2BNRQvJDI%3D&amp;reserved=0\" title=\"https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FUTAMavsTFXC&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ckensley.walters%40uta.edu%7C1b5df67e15e541eafd4608dea26dcea3%7C5cdc5b43d7be4caa8173729e3b0a62d9%7C0%7C0%7C639126789684456617%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbG\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\/UTAMavsTFXC<\/a>).<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>                <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"&#13; Story Links&#13; &#13; ARLINGTON, Texas\u00a0\u2013 The UT Arlington track &amp; field team started postseason competition Thursday at&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":293900,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[150,152,151],"class_list":["post-293899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arlington","tag-arlington","tag-arlington-headlines","tag-arlington-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293899\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/293900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}