The Texas A&M-Commerce track and field teams will host the Lone Star Conference Championship meet this weekend, May 4-6 at Memorial Stadium.
The Lions have had successful performances from many different student-athletes this spring and look forward to hosting other LSC member schools at the newly finished track.
Head Coach Rich Lawrence reflected on hosting the LSC meet, “I am glad they (other teams) get to come in and see the track. We have some things with the pole vault and long jump pits being side by side, some things that you don’t normally see at a track. I am looking forward to having teams in and letting them see that. If we can build on the personal bests, or at least be consistent with them, when the conference meet comes, we can be competitive, at least within our own rights. We’re not going to blow people away, but we hope to have some kids compete pretty well.”
The Lions have seen great performances from a number of individuals during the spring, some of which will be participating in their last meet of their college career at the LSC meet.
Niki Williams has spent her four-year career at A&M-Commerce, running for both the cross-country and track & field teams. During the 2007 spring season, she has run in the 1500-meter run, 3000-meter run, 5000-meter run, and 3000-meter steeplechase. In the LSC, Williams ranks fifth in the 1500m (4:56.31), third in the 3000m run (10:57.64), fifth in the 3000m steeplechase (11:53.91), and third in the 5000m run (19:10.66).
Kara Bickel has also participated in cross-country as well as track & field, alongside Williams. Bickel has run in the 400-meter dash, 800-meter run, and one of the members of the 4×400-meter relay teams. Bickel leads the women’s side in the 800m, where as her season best was set at the Bobby Lane Invitational, with a time of 2:28.31.
Larry Gilbert has had a tremendous spring season so far, and provisionally qualified in the discus at the TCU Invitational in late April. His discus throw of 164’11” (50.27m) at TCU, places Gilbert as the second best thrower in the LSC. His top throw in the shot put of 51’1.75″ (15.59m) places him at fourth. Gilbert’s throw in the discus also ranks him tenth in all of Division II. Gilbert looks forward to the Lions hosting the LSC meet, and looks to be successful in his throwing events at the meet.
“I want to win both of them, I want to win shot put and discus, I want to qualify in shot put and I am going to work hard in practice, tried to work at it, get my technique down.”
Lance Smith is also preparing to participate in his last LSC track meet of his college career this weekend. Smith has run in the 200-meter dash, 400m, 800m and has been one of the members of the 4×400 relay. Smith’s top time in the 800 of 2:02.8 places him third among the Lions.
In only his first year of college, Robert Reed has been a strong performer for the Lions, as he has participated in the 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m and 4×400 relay teams. Reed ranks fifth in the LSC in the 800 (1:57.29), and the 1500m (4:07.91), and he ranks first in the 3000m (9:12.08).
Kyle Thompson will not be at A&M-Commerce next season, as he will be entering a medical program for anesthesiology at UT Tyler. Thompson has participated in the 110-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles, high jump, 200-meter dash, and also was a member of the 4×400 relay teams. His top-time of 14.89 in the 110 hurdles, places Thompson seventh in the LSC.
Abilene Christian, Angelo State, Tarleton State, Eastern New Mexico State and A&M-Kingsville will be the five other teams joining the Lions at the LSC meet this weekend at Memorial Stadium.