Malachi Snow Delivers Impressive Double As Red Raiders Defeat Kansas State Men By A Point; Texas Tech Women Hold Off BYU

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

Gavin Daly Photos

RESULTS

For the second consecutive year, the Texas Tech Red Raiders swept the men’s and women’s team titles at the Big 12 Indoor Championships Saturday in Lubbock, Tex.

The Texas Tech men squeaked past Kansas State by one point, 125-124, after all 19 events were scored, giving the Red Raiders a fourth consecutive conference title and sixth in the last nine years.

Texas Tech came away with various points in sprints, hurdles and field events, including five individual titles and numerous podium finishes.

Malachi Snow doubled up in the 60-meter hurdles and 60 meters, winning both finals in lifetime best performances. Snow opened with the hurdles in a meet and facility record 7.43 seconds, then won the 60 in 6.46, another personal best and meet record.

Jonathan Seremes jumped a second-round mark of 55 feet, 7.75 inches (16.96m), winning the men’s triple jump in another meet and facility record.

George Garcia won the 600 yards in 1:08.14 and Stephen Mutai won the 800 in 1:48.23. 

The Texas Tech women scored 114.5 points for a second consecutive team title, beating BYU by 4.5 points.

After getting an early win from Temitope Adeshina in the high jump on Friday, Ruta Lasmane and Tonie-Ann Forbes added another pair of individual wins to headline the Red Raiders' push on the final day.

Lasmane jumped a seasons’ best 45-3 (13.79m) and teammate Tamiah Washington earned second at 44-8.25 (13.62m). Forbes won the 60 hurdles in a personal best 7.91, beating her opposition by two-tenths of a second.

Billah Jepkirui Runs Fourth-Fastest Collegiate Mile

Oklahoma State’s Billah Jepkirui had the performance of the day in the women’s mile, beating BYU’s Jane Hedengren in a meet and facility record 4:23.40, producing the fourth-fastest mile in collegiate history. Hedengren held the lead up until the final lap when Jepkirui closed in 31.74 seconds the final 200 to overtake the freshman.

Jepkirui added another meet and facility record in the women’s 1,000, running 2:43.48 and winning by over two seconds. 

Hedengren bounced back later in the evening with a win in the women’s 3,000, also clocking a meet and facility record 8:46.11 while beating Oklahoma State’s Isca Chelangat by 10 seconds.

Creed Thompson completed a BYU sweep in the 3,000, running a facility record 7:52.90 for the win. Tayvon Kitchen was second for BYU in 7:52.91.

Along with the 3,000 wins, BYU won three more events: Carter Cutting in the mile (4:05.23), Riley Chamberlain in the 800 (2:06.21) and the women’s 4x400 relay (3:31.40).

Kansas State’s only win for their second-place men’s team came in the 4x400 relay in 3:05.59, beating Houston by a tenth of a second.

TCU’s Indya Mayberry swept the women’s 60 and 200 titles in 7.19 and 22.50, respectively. 

Arizona State’s Jayden Davis won the men’s 400 in a season’s best 45.31 and Amir Thompson won the men’s 200 in a personal best 20.40 for the Sun Devils only wins of the day.

Iowa State’s Rachel Joseph held off BYU’s Sami Oblad in the women’s final, 51.36 to 51.48.

Colorado’s Avery Pearson lowered her own meet record from the women’s 600 yards prelims to win the final in 1:17.48.

Kansas’ Tayton Klein scored a season’s best 5,932 points to win the men’s heptathlon. 

Tapenisa Havea won the women’s shot put (55-0.75/16.78m) and Tyler Mitchell won the men’s shot put (62-10.50/19.16m) for an Arizona sweep. Bryson Nielsen picked up a track win for the Wildcats in the men’s 1,000 in 2:22.07.