Lion women fourth after 36 holes at Rattler Invitational

Paige-Lee Garris’ 66 in opening round sets school 18-hole record

SAN ANTONIO – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s golf team saw a program record established, as the Lions sit in fourth place after 36 holes at the St. Mary’s Rattler Invitational. 

The Lions shot 610 (300-310, +34) in a competitive field. Dallas Baptist leads the tournament at 579 (+3). 

Sarah Wongsinth (Udon Thani, Thailand) is in fifth place in the event at 149 (76-73, +5). She shot a 4-over par 76 with two birdies in the opening round, followed by a 1-over par 73 with four birdies in the second round. 

Paige-Lee Garris (West Palm Beach, Fla.) set the school 18-hole record in the opening round with a 6-under par 66. She had an eagle and five birdies against only one bogey in the round. She is in 16th place at 154 after 36 holes. 

The Lions had three San Antonio-area student-athletes compete in the event. Michelle Becker (San Antonio – Reagan) is in 25th place at 13-over par 157, Karlee Nichols (Smithson Valley) is in 33rd at 15-over par 159, and Makena Thomas (San Antonio – Reagan) is in 39th at 18-over par 162. 

The Lions will look to move up the leaderboard with the final round of the tournament on Tuesday with an 8 a.m. shotgun start.

Rank	Team	Scores		Total	Par
1.	Dallas Baptist	292	287	579	+3
2.	West Tex. A&M	309	294	603	+27
3.	Henderson St.	300	307	607	+31
4.	A&M-Commerce	300	310	610	+34
5.	Midwestern St.	300	311	611	+35
	St. Edward’s	305	306	611	+35
7.	Tex. A&M Int’l	309	314	623	+47
8.	St. Mary’s	318	309	627	+51
9.	Colorado-Colorado Springs	336	317	653	+77

 

A&M-Commerce	300	310	610	+34	4th
Sarah Wongsinth	76	73	149	+5	5th
Paige-Lee Garris	66	88	154	+10	t-16th
Michelle Becker	79	78	157	+13	t-25th
Karlee Nichols	79	80	159	+15	t-33rd
Makena Thomas	83	79	162	+18	39th

13 Lions earn All-Region honors from USTFCCCA

NEW ORLEANS – The Texas A&M University-Commerce track and field programs are represented by six men and seven women as the All-South Central Region for the 2019-20 indoor season, as announced by the U.S Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday. 

To earn All-Region honors, an athlete must be one of the top-5 individuals in their events in their respective regions. Also, each member of a region’s top-3 relay team was selected for the distinction. 

The women’s 4×400 meter relay team of Kiara Brown (Dallas – Carter), Danielle Nicholson (McKinney – North), Ro’Nisha Simpson (Tatum), and Minna Svaerd (Karlstad, Sweden) clocked a time of 3:46.46 at the Boston University Last Chance Qualifier last weekend. That pushed A&M-Commerce into the top ten nationally and tops in the region. 

Brown’s time of 24.17 seconds in the 200-meter dash and Svaerd’s 54.77 seconds in the 400-meter dash also rank in the top 10 nationally and are regional bests. They also recognized Svaerd as all-region in the pole vault. 

On the men’s side, Dorian Andrews (Dallas – Skyline) automatically qualified for nationals in the 60-meter hurdles at 7.89 seconds for the top time in the region, and Josh Boateng (St. George’s, Grenada) is in the top 15 nationally and tops in the region in the shot put at 17.35 meters (56-11 ¼). 

Other men’s honorees include Lamarion Arnold (Montgomery, Ala.), who is ranked ninth nationally in the 200-meter dash. Trayveon Franklin (Montgomery), is ranked 16th nationally in the triple jump, Malcolm Woods (Sachse), who is ranked 16th nationally in the 60-meter dash, and Steven Sanchez (New Braunfels) in the weight throw. 

Tuesday, they will announce the field for next week’s NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships. The meet will be held at the CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala., on March 13 & 14. 

MEN

Dorian Andrews	60 Meter Hurdles
Lamarion Arnold	200 Meter Dash
Josh Boateng	Shot Put
Trayveon Franklin	Triple Jump
Steven Sanchez	Weight Throw
Malcolm Woods	60 Meter Dash

WOMEN

Kiara Brown	4×400 Meter Relay
Kiara Brown	200 Meter Dash
Danielle Nicholson	4×400 Meter Relay
Ro’Nisha Simpson	4×400 Meter Relay
Minna Svaerd	400 Meter Dash
Minna Svaerd	4×400 Meter Relay
Minna Svaerd	Pole Vault