TUCSON, Ariz. (UNLVrebels.com) – The UNLV track & field team traveled out east for their final outdoor meet before the conference championships, competing in the Desert Heat Classic on Saturday. That meet, hosted by the University of Arizona, showcased several new personal-best performances for the Rebels and even a new top-five time in program history.
The program's 4x100m relay served as the highlight of the Scarlet & Gray's performances, notching the third-fastest time in program history in the event. The relay squad consisted of
Kennedi Porter,
Chinyere Okoro,
AnnaKay Maitland and
Shakeira Bowra, the team posting a 44.02 final time in the race. The team also emerged in the top five rankings in the competitive event, finishing fourth overall.
The Scarlet & Gray showcased a strong performance in the field events at the Desert Heat Classic,
Grace Cunningham earning a new personal-best height in the women's high jump. Cunningham's final height would be set at 1.80m (5' 10.75"), beating her PB that she originally set earlier in the month at the UNLV Rebel ELITE. UNLV also featured a top-10 finisher in the discus,
Krishna Jayasankar throwing a 48.92m (160' 6") distance for sixth overall in the event.
Camryn Harris would round out the field performances for the Rebels with a personal-best distance in the triple jump.
Porter picked up a third top-ten finish on the day for the Rebels, finishing in the ninth spot in the women's 100m. Porter's finish of 11.50 marked the third-straight outdoor meet the junior has posted an 11.50 time or faster. She wouldn't be the only UNLV student-athlete in the event to find success, Maitland, Bowra, and
Sophia Alexander all finding personal-best times in their races.
Other Rebel runners to find personal-best distances included
Delaysia Allen (100m hurdles),
Jana Lakner (200m), Alexander (200m) and Bowra (200m).
The Scarlet & Gray will finish their preparations for the upcoming championship season, competing in the Mountain West Outdoor Track & Field Championships in less than two weeks. The team will travel out to Fresno, Calif., for the three-day meet, taking place from Thursday, May 9 through Saturday, May 11.
