Bell Headlines Women's Track at TAMUT Opener
TEXARKANA, Texas – The Texas A&M University–Texarkana track & field teams officially opened the outdoor season on Friday, hosting the inaugural TAMUT Opener on March 13 at Pleasant Grove High School. Competing against Philander Smith, Arkansas Baptist, and Wiley University, the Eagles turned in a strong showing across events in their first home meet in program history.
The TAMUT women picked up several event victories on the day, led by strong performances in the throws, sprints, and relays.
Ava Ferreira led the way in the field events with a first-place finish in the discus with a throw of 33.49m, while also placing fourth in the shot put. Adara Adesanya added another victory for TAMUT in the shot put with a mark of 10.39m, and Teegan Roach finished fifth with a throw of 8.24m.
In the long jump, Vinae Edwards secured the top spot with a leap of 5.60m, while Ja'Kouria Jamerson placed third and Janiya Ross finished fifth.
On the track, Damaria Bell had a standout performance, winning the 100m hurdles in 15.27 while also placing second in the 100m dash. Elliana Edwards finished second in the hurdles and later added a fourth-place finish in the 400m, while Jamerson placed fourth in the hurdles.
The Eagles also turned in strong sprint performances, with Chukwudera Emeh finishing third in the 400m before placing second in the 200m with a time of 26.46.
In the middle distance events, Kayla Reeves claimed the 800m title with a time of 2:25.39.
TAMUT also found success in the relays. The 4x100m relay team of Bell, Spellman-Collins, Jamerson, and Emeh took first place with a time of 48.96, while the 4x400m relay team of Emeh, Spellman-Collins, Jamerson, and Bell closed the meet with another victory in 4:10.45.