NORMAN, Okla. – Two podium finishes aided Eastern New Mexico women's track and field to a sixth-place finish at the 2024 Lone Star Conference indoor track and field championships hosted on the campus of the University of Oklahoma.

"I think they all believed they were in a position to score. We came into the meet with confidence and we competed well," said head coach Joshua Harden after the conference championships. "We have a young team. It took grit and belief. Knowing that you are there and you can compete at the top of this conference, that put some of our athletes in the position to do what they did."

The highlight of the weekend came from freshman Grizell Scarlett. The first-year Greyhound won the 60m race after clocking a 7.49s time. This is the second time she has won the event inside the John Jacobs Track Complex. Her first came during the JD Martin Invitational in December 2023.

Scarlett and her teammate Jodian Stewart were one of two schools to have multiple qualifiers in the 60m finals. Scarlett finished the prelims at 7.49s and Stewart clocked in a 7.73s after Friday's race.

During the Saturday finals, Scarlett bested a field that included five runners from West Texas A&M, one from Angelo State, and her teammate from ENMU. The next closest sprinter came 0.02 seconds away from Scarlett's 7.49s time.

"It was a feeling of joy. I was very happy," said Scarlett when asked her feelings after seeing the race results. "I knew that's what I wanted. I am grateful to get the opportunity to go there and perform. I want to thank my coaches and teammates who helped me claim the gold."

Scarlett also scored in the 200m at the LSC championships with a 25.47s result. Her seventh-place finish guaranteed ENMU two points.

The Greyhounds also saw a podium finish for graduate student Tamia Smith. A 13.97m (45-10) throw clinched her a second-place nod in the shot put. For a second season in-a-row, her teammate Kennedy Ulmer also helped the program score points in the event. Ulmer's 12.63m (41-5.25) toss clinched seventh for the program to garner two additional points.

 "It felt great. The competition was fierce this year" said Smith when asked about her feeling after earning another podium finish at the conference meet. "It was bittersweet since this is my last indoor meet. The program has taught me to be patient and trust the training process. After me going through what I have gone through at Eastern, it has grown me into a mature person."

ENMU scored points in three other events.

Jodian Stewart snagged a sixth-place result in the long jump with a 5.62m (18-5.25) leap. She was tied with another competitor, but beat out the tie breaker with her second best jump of 5.60m (18-4.5).

Freshman Minerva Cerda Hernandez posted a nice weekend in her first ever conference championship. In the pole vault, she took eighth with a clearance of 3.25m (10-8). She also helped the 4x400 team earn some points.

The quad of Helena Carboo-Klutsey, Scarlett, Cerda Hernandez, and Meghan Rodriguez finished the day's final race in 4:00.16 to take seventh and give ENMU 29 total points for the weekend. They clinched sixth out of ten total teams.

Two other Greyhounds came inches away from earning points for the team in their respective events.

In high jump, Aeriana Langley found herself in a tie for ninth for a height, but cleared it on her second try, which meant her 1.52m (4-11.75) result came just shy of earning points. The next height was two inches higher and the freshman was unable to clear the bar over her three attempts.

The other ENMU student-athlete within scoring opportunities was Tamia Smith in the weight throw. She took ninth with a 13.94m (45-9) toss.

Eastern New Mexico will now await who will be attending the 2024 NCAA DII indoor track and field championships. The announcement will come early this next week.

Results
West Texas A&M – 252
Angelo State – 155
UT Tyler – 75
Texas A&M-Kingsville – 51
DBU – 43
Eastern New Mexico – 29
Midwestern State – 24
Lubbock Christian – 21
Oklahoma Christian – 10
Cameron – 2