Quotes from winners of Sunday events
Women's Triple Jump, Ambra McCuin, Sam Houston (42-8 3/4)
TODAY'S COMPETITION: "The competition was great. I liked today better because the weather wasn't as cold. Other than the wind, everything was good.
REPEATING AS CHAMPION: "I didn't have my mind set on winning. I can't go into a competition that way, but I knew I had a chance.
HER WINNING JUMP: The jump was good. It was kind of shaky, but I got it in. Today my issue was my first phase, I continue to get too high, but all in all, it was an OK day. I've got room to improve."
Men's Triple Jump, Devon Bond, Texas-San Antonio (52-6 1/2)
REACTION : "I'm pretty pleased. I came in here and wanted to improve on my mark, and not kill myself because we've got two more meets. It feels great. We came here to win the team championship and I was able to contribute as expected. That was the focus and to improve my mark feels great.
HIS SERIES: "It was a season best, not a PR. My first jump was pretty good. My coach was stressing getting a mark early because I've had some foul trouble, and I had to make sure I was on the board. With my third jump, I wanted to get a mark out there. My teammates got hyped up and I was able to do it with their support, thank God. Coach and I talked about trying to get a comfortable lead and shutting it down if that was the case, which is how it worked out.
Women's Hammer Throw, Katie Bragg, Texas-San Antonio (175-2)
THE DAY: "It was definitely a good competition, there were a lot of good girls throwing out here today and I definitely enjoyed it.
HER PROGRESSION THROUGH THE COMPETITION: "I did have a good warmup, I was feeling good, getting in a good rhuthm. My coach told me when the competition got going that it was time to pick it up, you can do it, this is what you've been working all year toward. I definitely progressed as the competition went on and I felt better. It was enjoyable.
REACTION: "I'm excited, very excited. It was a hard year and I pushed through, and I'm very proud of myself to win today in this level of competition."
Men's Pole Vault, Colton Ross, Stephen F. Austin (16-6 3/4)
THE COMPETITION: "I'm just thankful for every second today. I didn't start out well in warmups, but I had a good talk with God, and he helped me through. I got settled down as the competition continued.
CONFIDENCE A KEY: I knew I had it in me. I wasn't in the top three coming in, on paper, but in my mind, I was number one. Self confidence means everything to me, with determination and commitment.
THE WIND TODAY: "Little struggle at first, but as the competition went forward, it allowed me to wait on a good wind and I used it to my advantage.
THE JUMP OFF WITH THE SECOND PLACE FINISHERS: "It was the first jump-off I've ever been involved in, and as far as the level of completion, it was probably the hardest I've ever had to compete. I knew I could pull through, and I'm just very satisfied with the results. The other guys did a great job competing too and they deserve every bit as much credit as I do."
Men's Hammer, Chris Cralle, Sam Houston
TODAY'S COMPETITION: "I didn't do my best job, but I'd like to say something about the people who did. Jon Arthur (Stephen F. Austin) threw a huge PR today, 59 meters, Phil Steinert (UTSA) is just a sophomore, and he threw an incredible throw of 56, which is not his best, but it was a great throw in his second conference meet. My teammates didn't do as well as they wanted, but they're young and coming along well. Richard Garrett of UTSA had a great PR. PR's are what matter, and I didn't do as well as I should have, so congratulations to those who did.
TALK ABOUT YOUR PERFORMANCE: "It was actually my worst competition (this year). I didn't do a good job of preparing for it, and other people did, so they deserve the credit today. Hopefully I can improve for regionals and nationals. I know I'll work harder so hopefully today's performance will prove to be a good thing."
Women's 4x100, Anchor Mary Dickerson, SFA
ON WINNING AS #3 COMING IN: “It was great! It was actually my first time running the 4x1, so it's an honor for me!”
THE RACE: It was nice! We had our handoffs good and that's the race we needed!”
EMOTIONALLY: “I'm happy, I'm really, really happy!”
Men's 4x100 relay, Anchor Justin Walker, NSU
WINNING: "Everyone ran a great leg but we had a little trouble there with the exchange on the last one, but we were able to gain some ground and pull it out."
WITHOUT MIKE GREEN: "We knew we had the team to win it. We just all pulled together as a squad and won the championship."
Men's 1500, Patrick Kimile, A&MCC
WINNING THE RACE, WINNING WITH UPSET: “The middle of the race I was so tired, but I had to give it my best shot.”
THE COMPETITON: “The track was good, but I was tired so I didn't take it to so fast that way I could gain momentum at the end.”
ON THE WIN EMOTIONS: “Happy, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to win, but I thank God for that.”
Women's 100 Hurdles, Chelsea Stephen, SFA
"I had a little shaky start in the prelims. My main focus was to finish the race and get to finals and make my PR. Came into the finals and was able to put up my best mark."
Men's 400, Darryl Hayes, Sam Houston State
"I'm real happy to get the win. My teammates pushed me and it was great to come back and redeem myself. I won it as a sophomore but missed all of last year with an injury, so it was good to come back and win it again. I'm happy with running my best time and wanted to touch 45 seconds again, but hopefully with more training, I can go out in the regionals and get that mark."
Men's 110 Hurdles, Nick McCloud, Stephen F. Austin
ON RACE: It was a good race. I could tell everybody really wanted it when the guy's on the left and the right of me got out ahead so it was a really good race.
ON REPEATING AS CHAMPION: It feels really good. I just want to thank the Lord for giving me the ability to come out here and run well. I don't even know how to explain it but it's a good feeling.
ON COMPETITION: It was a really good competition and it was even better because I was competing against a lot of my friends, including my high school teammate Keyunta Hayes. I knew everyone really wanted to win so that is what made it really fun. We were all pushing each other
Women 100 Meter Dash, Samantha Calhoun, Nicholls
ON RACE: The race was a rush. I was really focused and I really wanted it. My main thing that I was working on was my drive and I got out and I felt really confident.
ON COMPETITION: I thought Jhordan Hunter was going to be right there and I have been working on keeping pace with her all year. I have learned to never underestimate anyone and today everyone had a shot to win so it was really good to keep the drive going.
ON WINNING: Two years ago I never thought it would be possible to win but I worked hard and it has paid off big time. I feels really good that I have made it as champion.
Women's 400, Mary Dickerson, SFA
ON WINNING TWO EVENTS (THUS FAR): “Surprised. I was looking for a push up front and I got it, we have some great competition and I love that!”
Men's 100, Cordero Gray, UTA
ON WINNING AS FAVORITE: “It feels good to know that I have worked this hard, and I'm just glad it paid off. I would just like to thank God. “
COMPETITION: “I knew Justin Walker (NSU) was a really good runner, I knew I was going to have some great competition, and the two of us ran really well. “
EMOTIONS: “I feel really excited. We did bad in the 4x100 and I wanted to help us redeem that.”
Men's 400m Hurdles, Keyunta Hayes, UTSA
FEELING ON WINNING: “It feels good, it's an honor.”
WINNING AS A FRESHMAN: “It just lets me know that God gave me a talent and I should use it. He gave everybody a talent, but it's how you work for it.”
Women 400 Meter Hurdles, Dakota Stewart, Sam Houston State
ON RACE: It was amazing. It just came out of nowhere and it was really intense. It came down to the last second which was really exciting.
ON COMPETITION: The competition was really intimidating because they were all so good. It was just one big battle.
ON WINNING: It's amazing! A lot of hard work and preparation paid off today.
Men's 800, Joshua Sawe, McNeese
YOU WEREN'T IN THE TOP 3 COMING IN, WAS THIS A SURPRISE?: "It is a surprise because my best event is the 1500 and I was ranked seventh in this one. I was not expecting to do that good, but with 200 left I was in good position and I gave my best effort.
DIFFERENCE DOWN THE STRETCH, COMING FROM BEHIND: "I was feeling strong after the 1500. I was ready for the 800, that's the one I like the most.
BEST RACE OF THE SEASON? "I have run faster this year, but I feel very good about the way I ran today. It was the smartest one I've ever run, to have enough to come from behind in the last 150, 200 meters. (He took the lead in the last 30 meters).
Women's 200, Ashley Idunoba, Lamar
"It's a blessing to win. I'm really surprised. But I did have a goal earlier this season that as long as I get on the podium in conference, I'll be satisfied."
Men's 200m, Cordero Gray, UTA (20.56)
ON WINNING TWO EVENTS: “It feels real awesome to be a senior and go out with a bang.”
BEATING JUSTIN WALKER, DEFENDING CHAMPION: “I know Justin Walker is a good competitor, and I knew I had to run my best!”
EMOTIONS: “It just feels good! I've been working so hard and its paying off.
"I've been training since the summer and running long runs that I don't like at all, but I've been doing what I've had to do and my coaches have been staying on me. It showed today that all of my hard work has paid off."
Women's 5000, Amy Shackleford, Stephen F. Austin
ON RACE: It wasn't anything like I expected. I thought it was going to be a lot tougher and I thought that I was going to need to stay with the pack. After the race started I just got out in front and I felt great so I decided that I was just going to keep my pace.
ON COMPETITION: I knew the field was going to be tough and I knew who the big contenders were. This was the last day of events so I knew who was going to be able to pull through and who wasn't and plus the weather was warmer today so I just had to use my strategy to pull through and win.
ON WINNING IN 2009 AND THIS YEAR: It feels pretty great. I have had it pretty tough the past two years since finding out that I had breathing problems so it was really special to be able to come back and win this event. Winning the 10k Friday night really boosted my confidence so I knew that I was going to be able to do well.
Men's 5000, Jarrett LeBlanc, McNeese
ABOUT THE DOUBLE (10k, 5k): "It's kind of intimidating when you think about it as 15,000 meters total, 37-and-a-half laps ... at first, it's overwhelming when you think about it. Today's race was slow, and I knew I had the speed in me, but I didn't know I was going to pull that, though.
ABOUT THE STRETCH RUN (HE TOOK THE LEAD IN THE FINAL 15 METERS): "I took out nice and conservative and slow, and my legs were feeling pretty decent today. I knew there was something left in my legs. Sure enough, when they took off, I waited to make my move after the wind, right behind David (Rooney), and with 150 to go, I just closed my eyes, gritted my teeth and hoped for the best. I tried to catch Brandon (Chiumminetta of UTSA), and Brandon has more speed than I'll ever have, so it means a lot to me to catch him at the end of a race. This is amazing. I'd have never predicted this, not today, anyway."
Women's Pole Vault, Elena Horn, Texas State
REACTION: "I'm pretty pleased. The goal was to win here, and to finish with a PR, that's pretty awesome. I'm really happy.
WINNING AS THE LEADER ENTERING THE MEET: "I did come in ranked first, but it was very close. I knew it would not be easy to win today. Brittany (Phantz, SLU), with 12-11 1/2, she was right behind me. She had some tough luck. I know she'll be back after it next year, and not just her, there is a lot of good competition."
HER SERIES: "I started pretty good. I don't like the break after warmup, but I have to deal with that. I was pretty good from the first jump on. I didn't want any misses at the early heights, and I did pretty good there, so I feel good about today.
RELAXING A KEY TODAY: "I've improved my run and my takeoff, but I still have a lot to do on my swing and clearing the bar, but I think I was a little more relaxed in my head. Sometimes I put pressure on myself and I was pretty relaxed today, so that helped."
Women 4x400 Relay, Mary Dickerson, Stephen F. Austin
RACE TO THE FINISH: On the last exchange I was really scared because my team usually counts on me to be able to catch the runners ahead of us. When they got ahead of me I had already decided to give it my all and it turned out to be a beautiful race. I am so proud of my team and how we finished the race
COMPETITION: I loved the competition. Those other teams are what drive me to race harder and I did that today and we were able to come out on top.
Men's 4x400m Relay, Darryl Hayes, Sam Houston State
WINNING THE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE EVENT: “It feels real good. We've run indoor, but haven't won outdoor since freshman year.”
THE RACE ITSELF: “I feel we had good handoffs today. We we're having bad handoffs at the beginning of the year, but with a little practice we got a lot better.”
EMOTIONS: “I'm feeling real good, I'm the only upperclassmen on the team because the rest are freshmen. We worked hard for this!”
Team championships, Coach Phil Olsen, Stephen F. Austin
"It's absolutely unbelievable. What a lot of people don't know is this is a triple crown for our women, who have won cross country, indoor and outdoor this year. To top that, it's the first men's team title outdoors that we've ever won, and to get a sweep on top of that is just unbelievable. We thank God. We are very blessed in our program, blessed to be at Stephen F. Austin and being able to do some of the things that we are doing. It just comes from a lot of hard work by our kids and our coaches. Thank God and thank them."
