Albuquerque, N.M. – The NM State Indoor Track & Field team returned to action Saturday from the Duke City, partaking in the one-day MLK Collegiate Invite hosted by the University of New Mexico at the Albuquerque Convention Center. While NM State was unable to reach the top of the podium multiple Aggies recorded top-five finishes and set new personal bests, including the 4x400 team of Terice Steen, Jahnya Hill, Jahna Downie and T'Erica Boyd who took fourth in the event and claimed the third-fastest time in NM State history with a mark of 3:42.27. Phethisang Makhethe broke her own personal record in the Weight Throw for the second straight week, posting a runner-up finish with a distance of 20.06m (65-9.75").
 
Aileen Alvarado was the first Aggie to see action on the day, competing in the high jump for the second straight week. Alvarado landed just short of the personal best she posted last week with a final mark of 1.5m (4-11").
 
Following after was the Long Jump where Valissa Brown paced NM State with a mark of 5.43m (17-9.75") to take 16^th place. Freshman Cameron Hodges competed in the event for the first time in her collegiate career, recording a final distance of 5.20m (17-0.75"). Fellow first year Angelina Killings competed in her first college meet, placing fourth in her flight with a tally of 4.97m (16-3.75").
 
Next up on the day was the Weight Throw, where Phethisang Makhethe posted a new personal best for the second straight week and third straight meet, recording a final mark of 20.06m (65-9.75") to take second place. Miranda Tcheutchuoa came in third, tallying her best collegiate finish with a toss of 18.36m (60-3"), a personal best. Emily Birch rounded out the Aggies in the top ten, taking ninth with a season-high mark of 16.66m (54-8"). Kaitlyn Ward recorded a personal best, posting a final distance of 15.81m (51-10.5") to take 14^th place.
 
Cameron Hodges managed to claim first place in her heat in the Triple Jump with a final mark of 11.35m (37-3"), good for 11^th overall.
 
In the Mile, a trio of Aggies recorded top-six finishes: Thobile Amon (5:05.47), Emily Stutesman (5:08.89) and Maggie Gibbs (5:10.27) finished third, fifth and sixth respectively. Gibbs set a new personal best in the process. Kayla O'Connell posted a tenth-place finish with a mark of 5:26.80, setting a personal record.   
 
Rebecca Green paced NM State in the Shot Put, taking third with a mark of 15.44m (50-8"), setting a new personal best in the process. Freshman Alesha Lane tied her personal best set last week at the Corky Classic with a mark of 13.47m (44-2.5") to finish 13^th.  
 
In the 60m Hurdles, Freshman T'Erica Boyd set a new personal best with a time of 8.75 while winning her heat and advancing to the finals in the process. Aliyah Logan finished second in her heat with a time of 8.27, earning herself a spot in the finals alongside Boyd. In the finals, Logan and Boyd finished one after the other taking sixth and seventh with times of 8.41 and 8.79 respectively.  
 
Sierra Brewer set a new personal best in the 60m Dash prelims, finishing with a time of 7.59 while Jhana Downie fell just short of eclipsing her time from the Corky Classic (7.711) with a mark of 7.721 today.
 
Thulisile Amon recorded a runner-up finish in the 800m Dash, crossing the line with a time of 2:11.92 while Anglea Korte participated in the event for the first time in her collegiate career, posting a time of 2:26.14, good for 11^th place.
 
Terice Steen, Jahnya Hill, Jhana Downie and T'Erica Boyd teamed up in the 4x400, capturing fourth place with a time of 3:42.17. This time by the quartet also ranks as the third fastest 4x400 time in NM State history.  
 
Up Next
The Aggies will head back to Las Cruces to prep for another meet next weekend, traveling returning to Albuquerque for the UNM Team Open taking place Friday, January 27 and Saturday January 28. NM State will be participating in two more meets hosted by the University of New Mexico before the 2023 WAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, taking place February 24-25 in Spokane, Washington.   

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