CONWAY – The University of Central Arkansas Men's and Women's Track & Field teams are hosting the Richard Martin Jr. Invitational this weekend. Day one has wrapped up and the Bears made a strong start to the competition with a broken UCA record, three first place finishes, 22 top-10 finishes, and 25 personal records set.
 
Placing first in the men's Hammer Throw, Aidan Patton broke the UCA school record with a throw of 52.92m, breaking the record by 1.59m.
 
In the women's 1500m, Anna Bommes kept the lead to place first with a personal record time of 4:39.00.
 
Jalyn Akins placed first with a personal record throw of 44.46m.
 
Women's Personal Records
Jalyn Akins, Hammer Throw, 44.46m
Kiara Williams, Hammer Throw, 41.26m
Miranda Nichols, Hammer Throw, 39.58m
Allyson Sellers, Javelin, 29.94m
Ayana Harris, 200m, 25.23
Kayla Scott, 200m, 25.96
Grace Deshotels, 200m, 25.99
Zadie St. Louis, 200m, 26.00
Taylor Conway, 200m, 26.44
Aubrey Elam, 200m, 27.37
Indiyah Aldridge, 200m, 27.48
Anna Bommes, 1500m, 4:39.00
Emma Selph, 1500m, 4:44.72
Ali Nachtigal, 1500m, 4:49.70
 
Men's Personal Records
Aidan Patton, Hammer Throw, 52.92m
Robert Ricks III, High Jump, 1.70m
Luke Stringer, Javelin, 48.32m
Taylor Michie, Javelin, 29.60m
Tyrone Luckett, 200m 22.09
Bryson Bailey, 200m, 23.57
Bresner Austin, 1500m, 4:04.76
Tomas Thompson, 1500m, 4:15.70
Hayden Boyett, 1500m, 4:15.96
Beau Melancon, 1500m, 4:16.47
Jackson Salsman, 1500m, 4:19.41
 
Field Events
In the men's Hammer Throw, Aidan Patton placed first and broke the school record with a personal record throw of 52.92m.
In the women's Hammer Throw, Jalyn Akins placed first with a personal record throw of 44.46m. Kiara Williams placed fourth with a personal record throw of 41.26m and Miranda Nichols placed fifth with a personal record throw of 39.38m.
In the women's High Jump, Natalie Louw tied for third with a jump of 1.55m.
In the men's High Jump, Robert Ricks III finished fifth with a personal record jump of 1.70m.
In the men's Javelin, Luke Stringer placed fifth with a personal record throw of 48.32m. Taylor Michie finished 10^th with a personal record throw of 29.60m.
In the women's Javelin, Allyson Sellers placed fifth with a personal record throw of 29.94m. Natalie Louw placed seventh with a throw of 24.29m.
 
Track Events
In the men's 200m, Wesley Suen placed sixth with a time of 21.89. With a strong lead in heat two, Tyrone Luckett placed seventh with a personal record time of 22.09 and in eighth, Bruce White had a time of 22.27. Bryson Bailey finished 14^th with a personal record time of 23.57.
In the women's 200m, Ayana Harris had a strong lead in heat three to place third overall with a personal record time of 25.23. Ciara Tucker placed sixth with a time of 25.77, Kayla Scott placed eighth with a personal record time of 25.96, Grace Deshotels placed 10^th with a personal record time of 25.99, and Zadie St. Louis finished 11^th with a personal record time of 26.00. Taylor Conway finished 13^th with a personal record time of 26.44, Aubrey Elam finished close behind in 14^th with a personal record time of 27.37, Indiyah Aldridge finished 16^th with a personal record time of 27.48, and Natalie Louw finished 18^th with a 27.91.
In the men's 1500m, Hunter Henderson kept a consistent top three place to finish third with a time of 4:02.93. Staying close behind throughout the race, Bresner Austin placed fourth with a personal record time of 4:04.76. Johnny Cordero kept a middle pace to finish 14^th with a time of 4:11.86 and Tomas Thompson finished 16^th with a personal record time of 4:15.70. Hayden Boyett stayed consistently close behind to finish 17^th with a personal record time of 4:15.96 and in 18^th, Beau Melancon had a personal record time of 4:16.47. Jackson Salsman stayed with the pack to finish 19^th with a personal record time of 4:19.41.
In the women's 1500m, Anna Bommes kept the lead the entire second heat to place first with a personal record time of 4:39.00. In second, Emma Selph stayed in the top three in heat two with a personal record time of 4:44.72. In the same heat, Ali Nachtigal stayed close to finish fourth with a personal record time of 4:49.70. Isabel Lynch stayed in the front in heat one to finish 17^th with a time of 5:18.81. Anna Jeffcoat finished 22^nd with a time of 6:05.42.
 
From the Coach – Head Coach Josey Weaver
"We had a great first day. It was great to shake some rust off, and get back to competing. We started the meet off with a school record, and ended with a lot of personal bests for all the event groups. I am looking forward to what this outdoor season has in store for this team."
 
From the Record Breaker – Aidan Patton
"Hammer went great for the whole squad today! I wasn't necessarily focused on breaking the record, but rather looking for a good start to the outdoor season. I think I did that, and the record was just the icing on the cake, but like I said, the whole squad did great and I'm super proud of all our performances!"
 
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