Erikewe’s Bronze Leads Men's Indoor Track and Field at Friends First-Chance Qualifier

Wichita, Kan. – The Texas A&M University–Texarkana men's track and field team opened the 2026 portion of its season with a strong showing Saturday at the Friends University First-Chance Qualifier, highlighted by three top-five finishes. The Eagles competed against a deep field featuring programs from all levels, including NCAA Division I Wichita State.

Jayden Erikewe led the way for TAMUT with a standout performance in the men's 60-meter hurdles. After running an 8.40 in the preliminaries to place third in his heat, Erickewe advanced to the finals and secured a third-place finish overall with a time of 8.46.

In the men's 1000-meter run, Chapman White earned a fourth-place finish with a time of 2:47.55, while teammate Christopher Avila followed closely behind in fifth at 2:48.78. Terrance Toliver II also recorded a top-10 finish in the event, placing seventh with a mark of 2:57.53. All three distance runners later competed in the men's mile, with White finishing 16th, Avila 26th, and Toliver 40th.

Three Eagles competed in the 60-meter dash preliminaries, with Giovani Jean-Pierre advancing to the finals after posting a time of 6.96. Jeffery LeGrand and Glenn Parker finished 19th and 48th, respectively, in the prelims. Jean-Pierre improved his time by one-hundredth of a second in the finals to earn an 11th-place finish.

Parker was also the lone TAMUT competitor in the 400-meter dash, finishing 19th with a time of 53.28.

In the field events, the Eagles recorded 11th-place finishes in both events they contested. Senhotchy Saint Jean placed 11th in the men's triple jump with a mark of 40-5.83, while Maurice Williams finished 11th in the men's weight throw with a distance of 42-2.3.

The Eagles return to action on Saturday, January 24, at the FasTrak Athletic Collegiate Challenge, hosted by the University of Houston.