LAS CRUCES, N.M. – After competing in its five-meet regular season, NM State returns to the indoor track one final time at the CUSA Indoor Track & Field Championship, hosted by Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. This will be the first track & field championship the Aggies will compete at under the CUSA banner after joining the conference on July 1, 2023. The two-day meet will feature some field events and preliminary track action on Friday. The rest of the field events, the finals of the track events and the crowning of a conference champion will take place on Saturday.
 
Starting Line

• This is just the second time the Aggies will compete outside the state of New Mexico this season and the first since the season-opening Stan Scott Memorial in Lubbock, Texas, on Jan. 13.
• The Aggies will compete against the eight other programs currently comprising Conference USA – FIU, Jacksonville State, Liberty, LA Tech, Middle Tennessee, Sam Houston, UTEP and Western Kentucky.
• Last season, Middle Tennessee took third place with a team score of 82 points – the highest finish among members still residing in Conference USA.

 
Back Track | Don Kirby Invitational | 2.9-10.24

• Upperclassmen paced NM State on the day, led by Maggie Gibbs' performance in the 3000 meter run. Miranda Tcheutchoua recorded her fourth top-six finish in four meets in the weight throw, and Jhana Downie recorded another strong showing in the 200m dash to take seventh.
• On Saturday afternoon, the final day of the Don Kirby Invitational, Logan blazed down the track, finishing with a time of 8.21 to best her own school record for the second time this season. This became the fifth school record to be broken in five indoor meets for the Aggies – with Logan besting her own record in the 60m hurdles twice, Rebecca Green surpassing a mark in the shotput that stood for 15 years, only to break the record again two weeks later, and Jhana Downie besting herself in the 200m dash.
• Posting a mark of 15.95m (52-4") in the shotput, Los Lunas native Rebecca Green led the Aggies in the event for the fourth time this indoor season, finishing with a fifth-place result. Alesha Lane followed up her personal best in the weight throw on Friday with a an indoor best in the shotput, recording a distance of 13.95m (45-9.25") to take 11^th.
• The 4x400 relay put a cap on the Aggies' regular season, the quartet of Breanna Moss, Sierra Brewer, Grace Pendarvis and T'Erica Boyd teaming up to record a time of 3:47.30, securing the top placement in their heat and tenth overall.

 
Record Watch

• Records are meant to be broken. During a brief indoor season, the Crimson & White broke five school records – Aliyah Logan broke her own record in the 60m hurdles twice, Jhana Downie bested herself in the 200m dash and Rebecca Green surpassed a mark in the shotput that stood for 15 years, only to break the record again two weeks later.
• Logan's personal best time of 8.21 seconds ranks 36^th in the nation, fourth in the NCAA Mountain region and third in Conference USA.
• Downie's time of 23.52 seconds is the ninth-fastest result in the Mountain region and third-best in Conference USA.
• Green's mark of 16.10m (52-10") stands 41^st in the nation, fourth in the Moutain region and tops the conference.

 
Aggies vs. America

• While the team enjoyed a week off from competition, junior Rebecca Green made one final trek to Albuquerque, N.M., for the 2024 USATF Indoor Championships, hosted at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
• Green qualified for the event after recording her personal best mark and school record of 16.10m (52-10") at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.
• Competing with some of the best athletes in the United States, the Los Alamos natives' best toss came in at 15.40m to take ninth place.

 
One Year Ago… | 2023 WAC Track & Field Championships | 2.24-25.23

• They say good things come in pairs, and Thulisile and Thobile Amon have proven just that through their performances at NM State. In the 800m run, Thulisile crossed the line in seventh with a time of 2:12.13, while Thobile took fourth with a time of 2:10.85. This marked a personal best for the junior from Middleburg, South Africa, while also giving her the top spot all-time in NM State history.
• Jhana Downie took the top spot for her heat in the 400m dash, posting a time of 53.86. This time marked a personal best and places her third in NM State history for the event.
• Both Aggies who partook in the mile run, Kayla O'Connell and freshman newcomer Jordan Torres, turned in personal bests in the event. O'Connell recorded a time of 5:19.28, while Torres posted a mark of 5:39.97.
• The Aggies finished tied for second with fellow CUSA newcomer Sam Houston after recording nine podium finishes and four first-place finishes.

 
Schedule of Events (All Times MDT)
 
Friday
 
Weight Throw – 1:00 p.m.
Mile Prelims – 1:00 p.m.
60m Hurdles Prelims – 1:35 p.m.
400m Prelims – 2:15 p.m.
60m Prelims – 2:50 p.m.
800m – 3:30 p.m.
200m – 4:00 p.m.
5000m – 4:30 p.m.
DMR – 5:20 p.m.
 
Saturday
 
Shot Put – 10:00 a.m.
Triple Jump – 10:00 a.m.
High Jump – 10:00 a.m.
Mile – Noon
60m Hurdles – 12:30 p.m.
400m – 12:45 p.m.
60m – 1:05 p.m.
800m – 1:20 p.m.
200m – 1:40 p.m.
3000m – 1:50 p.m.
4x400 Relay – 2:50 p.m.
 
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