ARLINGTON, Texas – Junior sprinter Micah Larkins shined Saturday at the UT-Arlington Bobby Lane Invitational, sweeping the 100 and 200 meter dashes, posting the nation's third-best times in both events.
 
Larkins made his season 100 meter debut remarkable with a 10.26 time. While not as fast as his personal record 10.15 at the 2016 Southland Conference Championships, it stands as the country's third-fastest mark overall and fastest non wind-aided time early in the 2018 outdoor season.
 
The Haughton native did notch a PR in the 200, winning in 20.83, which was 0.16 faster than his previous best. It did come with a 3.5 mph tailwind.
 
"In the 100, Larkins was testing his hamstring that had bothered him since the Southland Indoor Conference Championships. After running the first race, he felt he had overcome the problem and ran one of his best races in the 200," said associate head coach and sprints coach Adam Pennington. "He ran the fastest legal 100-meter time in the country right now (with a +1.9 wind).
 
"Larkins is everything you want in an athlete. He has trained hard and has worked very hard in rehabbing his hamstring injury, and I am very proud of how he has been able to overcome it and run a PR in today's race," Pennington said.
 
"I went through rehab and took my time to get back into full health. Running a PR in the 200 is a big confidence booster for the upcoming Texas Relays," Larkins said.
 
Four other NSU competitors ran at the UTA meet. In the 100, Tre'Darius Carr finished eighth (10.497). Michael McGruder ran just behind Carr in ninth (10.50), followed by Kie'Ave Harry, who barely trailed McGruder (10.53). Desmond Mapps ran 10.72.
 
Also running the 200, McGruder took fifth (21.07) and Carr was seventh (21.34).
 
"McGruder had a fine race in (the 100 and 200). He stumbled a bit on the curve in the 200, but still finished well. With a slight adjustment on handling the curve, he will run even faster," Pennington said.
 
"(Tre'Darius) Carr also stood out today. He ran a PR in the 100 (10.497/rounded up to 10.50) and ran a PR in the 200 (21.34) despite struggling early in the race. It was impressive that he ran a PR despite not running a good race"
 
"I ran a good race today in both the 100 and 200 and my goal is to run 10.4 in the 100 and 21.1 in the 200," Carr said.

"Today's result was a momentum booster for our sprinters and they will bring their confidence to next week's Texas Relays," said Pennington.
 
NSU will travel to Austin Wednesday for the Texas Relays and some student-athletes will be participating at the Texas State Bobcat Invitational, which begins on Thursday.