AAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships Preview

Friday, May 14

Tampa, Fla.

10 AM

SMU

AAC Outdoor Championships (Day One)

Photo by: Bob Daemmrich

May 13 | Track & Field

American Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Tampa, Fla. | USF Track & Field Stadium
Friday, May 14 – Sunday May 16

LIVE RESULTS
WATCH (ESPN+) | DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3

SMU track & field heads to Tampa for the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships running Friday thru Sunday at USF's Track & Field Stadium.

The Mustangs are coming off a regular season in which they set 13 program top 10s across the seven outdoor meets. SMU holds one top mark in the conference heading into the meet along with nine marks in the top four among the AAC competitors.

The Mustangs last competed at the AAC Outdoor Championships in 2019 before the 2020 outdoor season was canceled due to COVID-19. At the last AAC Outdoor Championships, the Mustangs placed third, moving up seven spots on the final day with eight medals on Sunday. The third-place showing was the best for SMU since back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015.

This season, freshman Funminiyi Olajide leads the AAC with a 6.30m long jump top distance, good for second all-time at SMU. Fellow freshman, Raelyn Roberson, posted a 6.21m at the last meet for the third best mark in program history.

Ashton Woods broke the program record in the 400m hurdles three times over an eight day stretch earlier in the season. Her top time of 58.31 is second best in the AAC and 31^st best in the NCAA. The senior holds eight SMU top-10s across her four seasons on the Hilltop including three program records.

Last time out, Jernaya Sharp came within 0.01 seconds of breaking the SMU record in the 100 hurdles. The senior transfer ran a 13.31 at the Texas Invite which ranks fourth best in the conference and puts her in an NCAA Prelims qualifying position.

Chelsea Francis is the Mustangs all-time leading scorer at the AAC Outdoor with 63 points contributed, 16 points more than the next closest, Stephanie Souza. Francis has three outdoor golds including a Most Outstanding Performer award at the last edition of the AAC Outdoors. She has been All-Conference Outdoor a program-high seven times. Francis has scored points for SMU 10 different times at the meet.

As a freshman at the 2019 AAC Outdoors, Chika Iwuamadi was All-Conference in both the 400m and the 4x400. She earned an individual silver in the 400m as well as a bronze in the 4x400 and 4^th place with the 4x100 relay team. At the last conference meet hosted, the 2020 AAC Indoor, Iwuamadi was Most Outstanding Performer after winning gold in both the 400m and the 4x400m.

Senior Atipa Mabonga ranks third in the conference with her best triple jump of 13.02. She holds the 24^th best mark in NCAA West Prelim qualification.

MUSTANGS IN TOP 8 OF AAC
1 Funminiyi Olajide LONG – 6.30m
2 Chika Iwuamadi 400m-53.26
2 Ashton Woods 400H-58.31
3 Atipa Mabonga   TRIPLE – 13.02m
3 Olivia Dobson HEPT. - 5130
4 Raelyn Roberson LONG – 6.21m
4 Jernaya Sharp 100H-13.31
4 4x100 RELAY 45.28
4 4x400 RELAY 3:40.26
6 Cassie Ackemann 1.70m
7 Olivia Dobson 1.69m
8 Olivia Witt HEPT. – 4529

The NCAA West Prelims are set for May 27-29 in College Station. The top 48 student-athletes in the region in each event (other than the Heptathlon – top 24) will be accepted along with the top 24 relay teams.

MUSTANGS IN NCAA QUALIFYING POSITIONS (5/13)
14 Ashton Woods   58.31         400 Hurdles
24 Jernaya Sharp   13.31          100 Hurdles
24 Atipa Mabonga   13.02m    Triple Jump
24 Olivia Dobson     5130          Heptathlon
27 Funminiyi Olajide 6.28m     Long Jump
31 Chika Iwuamadi 53.26       400m
36 Raelyn Roberson 6.21m    Long Jump

MUSTANGS SLATED TO COMPETE

------FRIDAY-------

HEPT. 100m Hurdles (10 a.m. CT)
Olivia Witt
Olivia Dobson

HEPT. High (10:40 a.m. CT)
Olivia Witt
Olivia Dobson

HEPT. Shot Put (12:30 p.m. CT)
Olivia Witt
Olivia Dobson

HEPT. 200m (1:30 p.m. CT)
Olivia Witt
Olivia Dobson

JAVELIN (2:00 p.m. CT)
Olivia Dobson

200m (6 p.m. CT / PRELIMS )
Olivia Mars
Chelsea Francis
Jordanae Scott

400m HURDLES (6:30 p.m. CT / PRELIMS)
Ashton Woods

10,000m (6:55 p.m. CT)
Jessie Crowley
Maddie Hulcy
Mia Olsen

------SATURDAY------

HEPT. Long Jump (10 a.m. CT)
Olivia Witt
Olivia Dobson

HEPT. Javelin (12 p.m. CT)
Olivia Witt
Olivia Dobson

HEPT. 800m (1:30 p.m. CT)
Olivia Witt
Olivia Dobson

LONG JUMP (2 p.m. CT)
Olivia Witt
Raelyn Roberson
Funminiyi Olajide
Atipa Mabonga

100m HURDLES (4:25 p.m. CT / PRELIMS )
Jernaya Sharp

800m (5 p.m. CT / PRELIMS)
Leoni Mierswa
Madison Savoy

400m (5:30 p.m. CT / PRELIMS)
Whitney Williams
Chika Iwuamadi
Annette Bolomboy

100m (6 p.m. CT / PRELIMS )
Olivia Mars
Jordanae Scott
Raelyn Roberson
Chelsea Francis

--------SUNDAY--------

TRIPLE JUMP (1:30 p.m. CT)
Atipa Mabonga

HIGH JUMP (3:30 p.m. CT)
Cassie Ackemann
Olivia Dobson
Olivia Witt

4x100 RELAY (3:30 p.m. CT)
100m HURDLES (4:10 p.m. CT / FINALS
400m (4:30 p.m. CT / FINALS)
100m (4:45 p.m. CT / FINALS)
800m (5 p.m. CT / FINALS)
400m HURDLES (5:15 p.m. CT / FINALS)
200m (5:30 p.m. CT / FINALS)

5000m (5:40 p.m. CT)
Mia Olsen
Maddie Hulcy
Jessie Crowley
Leoni Mierswa

4x400 RELAY (6:45 p.m.)