ARLINGTON, Texas - The UT Dallas track & field team kicked off the 2024 season with 10 new school records at the UTA Invitational at Maverick Stadium Friday.

The Comets, now in their fourth season of competition, also posted 11 top eight finishes against all levels of collegiate programs.

UTD Women's Highlights
- Seven records were set, including five first-time events for a Comet student-athlete.
- Freshman Randi Beckham took fifth place in the 400 meter dash with a time of 1:01.03, breaking the old school record by 6.45 seconds. She also took 18th in 26.97 seconds in the 200.
- Beckham along with Tia Billingsly, Paige Thomas and Nora Daub established a 4x100 relay record in 49.85 seconds, finishing third.
- The 4x400 relay was also ran for the first time in 4:40.23 for a second-place finish by Emma Foyt-Gade, Emily Skrabanek, Becki Jeffery and Aparna Amarneethi.
- Freshman Jayden Cooper was the first 400 meter hurdler in school history, placing sixth in 1:10.76.
- Sophomore Chisom Mbah finished fifth in the shot put with a throw of 11.04 meters (36 ft.-2.75 in.), breaking her own record by more than two and a half feet.
- Freshman Amaiyah Harrison set the 100 meter hurdle record in 17.76 seconds, placing 11th.
- Skrabanek ran the 3,000 meters in 11:29.52 to establish the new mark. She finished 16th. 
- Other top finishers for the Comet women included -
    100 meters - Paige Thomas, 12.91, 13th
    800 meters - Sage Herrera, 2:25.00, 15th
    1,500 meters - Medha Kotra, 5:30.19, 33rd
    Long Jump - Sasha Simons, 4.11 meters (13 ft.-6 in.), 11th

UT Dallas Men's Notes
- The UTD men established two new records and broke one existing mark.
- Senior DJ Constance-Parris broke the two-year old 400 meter hurdle record by .35 seconds, finishing fourth in 56.59.
- Freshman Zach Sell became the first Comet to run the 110 hurdles, placing 10th in 15.47. He also finished sixth in the long jump with a mark of 6.29 meters (20 ft.-7.75 in.).
- Frank Douglas established a 3,000 meter record in 9:09.66 for a 13th place finish.
- Graeme Maclean took eighth in the 800 meters in 1:58.60.
- Sell, Kameron Quinn, Bryce Richardson and Cooper Burgess finished fifth in 42.58 seconds in the 4x100 relay.
- The 4x400 relay team of Sell, Matthew Chimitt, Burgess and Joseph Hussey were third in 3;34.60.
- Other top finishers for the Comets included -
    100 meters - Quinn, 10.76, 13th 
    200 meters - Quinn, 22.24, 18th
    400 meters - Trent Granberry, 52.23, 25th
    1,500 meters - Christopher Castro, 4:03.02, 14th
    Shot Put - Lucas Wick, 11.90 meters (39 ft.-.5 in.), 11th

Up Next
The Comets will compete at the UNT Bill Schmidt Invite in Denton, Texas on March 15-16.

Results

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