Sun Belt Sends Five to NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
NEW ORLEANS – Five Indoor Track and Field Athletes from the Sun Belt Conference will travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas for the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships. Allie Saunders (Texas State), Darian Brown (Texas State), Aaron George (Texas State), Roelf Pienaar (Arkansas State), and Richard Chavez (Arkansas State) will head to the Randal Tyson Track Center for the Championship on March 13-14.
All five student-athletes will compete in field events led by Pienaar of Arkansas State. Pienaar has the third best qualifying mark in the nation for the men’s long jump. Pienaar recorded a mark of 7.97m (26-1.75) at the Don Kirby Open & Elite in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The sophomore finished second in the Sun Belt Championship with a leap of 7.83m (25-8.25). He was out jumped by Texas State sophomore Aaron George whose jump measured 7.87m (25-10) at the championship. That mark was George’s best of the season and allowed him to qualify with the fifth best mark in the country.
The men’s shot put also will see two Sun Belt competitors in Chavez and Brown. Chavez, a senior from Arkansas State qualified with the no. 10 seed thanks to a throw of 19.61m (64-4) at the Sun Belt Championship. Chavez earned gold for that throw as he was able to beat out Brown. Brown concluded the championships with a high mark of 19.44m (63-9.5). However, Browns top mark came a week earlier as he threw 19.53m (64-1) at the Houston Tune Up on February 13. The Texas State senior qualifies with the 12th best mark in the NCAA.
Saunders will be the lone women’s competitor as she will compete in the triple jump. Saunders is the Sun Belt champion in the event as she recorded a mark of 13.08m (41-11). That mark was a personal best for Saunders and the tenth best in the country during the 2015 season. The Texas State senior’s previous top mark of 12.85m (42-2) came at the 2014 Sun Belt Indoor Track and Field Championship.
This will be the first time Texas State has taken three athletes to the NCAA Indoor Championships since 1994. Brown and Saunders compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last season, but have not qualified for an indoor championship before this season.
Last year, Pienaar took third place in the long jump with a mark of 7.80m (25-7.25) to earn First Team All-America honors. Chavez also qualified for the indoor championship as he finished in sixth place and earned First Team All-America honors as well. Sharika Nelvis was the third and final participant for the Red Wolves last season. She won the National Championship in the 60m hurdles with a time of 7.93 seconds.
Men Long Jump
3 Roelf Pienaar, SO, Arkansas State
5 Aaron George, SO, Texas State
Men Shot Put
10 Richard Chavez, SR, Arkansas State
12 Darian Brown, SR, Texas State
Women Triple Jump
10 Allie Saunders, SR, Texas State