Friday, February 10
Fayetteville, Ark.
University of Houston
at
Tyson Invitational
Beckford Topples Record Again
2/11/2023 4:27:00 PM | Track and Field
Senior breaks 800-meter run record for the second consecutive meet
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Houston senior Kelly-Ann Beckford broke her own school record in the 800-meter run a week on the final day of the Tyson Invitational on Saturday, after breaking the record a week ago in New Mexico.
Four different Cougars posted times that move them up the all-time Houston list with Beckford, Devin Vallejo-Bannister, Adam Mason and Cecilia Tamayo-Garza running top 10 times in their respective events. Senior Christyan Sampy jumped one centimeter off his school record in the pole vault as well.
"This was a great weekend for H-Town Speed City," Director of Track and Field Will Blackburn said. "We challenged our athletes coming into this weekend to compete and execute what we have been working on in practice. Splitting the teams between our home meet and Arkansas allowed each area of our program to excel. We had some individual event victories, broke a school record and had a good amount of personal and season best. We are excited about the conference championship in two weeks. Go Coogs!"
Beckford broke her previous record by over a quarter of a second, running 2:04.63 and placing second by 0.01 seconds in the 800.
Fellow mid-distance runner Devin Vallejo-Bannister won the mile and ran the third-fastest time in school history at 4:01.12 as he inches closer to breaking the four-minute mark.
The Cougars started the day with a top 10 time in the men's 800 as Adam Mason ran 1:51.24. Mason broke into the top 10 list for the first time in his career and ranks eighth.
Cecilia Tamayo-Garza's 200-meter dash of 23.30 is the fastest time in the American Athletic Conference and 17th nationally. 23.30 ranks fifth all-time in Houston history.
For Sampy, the senior cleared three straight bars on his first attempt, finishing third overall with a 5.52-meter jump in the pole vault, just one centimeter off his 5.53-meter school record.
UP NEXT
The Cougars will get an extra week off as they prepare for their final American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships Feb. 24-25 in Birmingham, Ala.
SUPPORT HOUSTON RISE
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference. Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win when we start Big 12 competition in July 2023. Click here to rise and be counted.
JOIN the PODIUM CLUB
The Podium Club serves as a unique and effective way to enhance the level of excitement and support for Houston Cougar Track and Field and Cross Country. Gifts to the Podium Club provide financial support directly to the programs for needs beyond their operating budgets.
Donations made to the Podium Club are used at the discretion of the head coach. For more information or to sign up, click here. To join the Podium Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (4687).
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates on #HTownSpeedCity by following @UHCougarTF on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarTF or on the team's Instagram page at @uhcougartf.
Four different Cougars posted times that move them up the all-time Houston list with Beckford, Devin Vallejo-Bannister, Adam Mason and Cecilia Tamayo-Garza running top 10 times in their respective events. Senior Christyan Sampy jumped one centimeter off his school record in the pole vault as well.
"This was a great weekend for H-Town Speed City," Director of Track and Field Will Blackburn said. "We challenged our athletes coming into this weekend to compete and execute what we have been working on in practice. Splitting the teams between our home meet and Arkansas allowed each area of our program to excel. We had some individual event victories, broke a school record and had a good amount of personal and season best. We are excited about the conference championship in two weeks. Go Coogs!"
Beckford broke her previous record by over a quarter of a second, running 2:04.63 and placing second by 0.01 seconds in the 800.
Fellow mid-distance runner Devin Vallejo-Bannister won the mile and ran the third-fastest time in school history at 4:01.12 as he inches closer to breaking the four-minute mark.
The Cougars started the day with a top 10 time in the men's 800 as Adam Mason ran 1:51.24. Mason broke into the top 10 list for the first time in his career and ranks eighth.
Cecilia Tamayo-Garza's 200-meter dash of 23.30 is the fastest time in the American Athletic Conference and 17th nationally. 23.30 ranks fifth all-time in Houston history.
For Sampy, the senior cleared three straight bars on his first attempt, finishing third overall with a 5.52-meter jump in the pole vault, just one centimeter off his 5.53-meter school record.
UP NEXT
The Cougars will get an extra week off as they prepare for their final American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships Feb. 24-25 in Birmingham, Ala.
SUPPORT HOUSTON RISE
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference. Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win when we start Big 12 competition in July 2023. Click here to rise and be counted.
JOIN the PODIUM CLUB
The Podium Club serves as a unique and effective way to enhance the level of excitement and support for Houston Cougar Track and Field and Cross Country. Gifts to the Podium Club provide financial support directly to the programs for needs beyond their operating budgets.
Donations made to the Podium Club are used at the discretion of the head coach. For more information or to sign up, click here. To join the Podium Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (4687).
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates on #HTownSpeedCity by following @UHCougarTF on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarTF or on the team's Instagram page at @uhcougartf.
– UHCougars.com –
Players Mentioned
Sprints/Distance
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Distance
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