The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men’s track and field team finished third at the SWAC Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday and Sunday in Birmingham, Ala.
The Golden Lions finished with 89 points, 0.5 ahead of Alabama State. Texas Southern won the men’s championship with 100 points, with Jackson State finishing second with 93.
UAPB dominated the men’s heptathlon, with senior Che Rochford winning gold and sophomore Anson Moses winning silver in the seven-part event.
Rochford finished first in the 60-meter dash, 1000-meter run and shot put, while finishing second in the 60-meter hurdles. He finished with a UAPB-record 4,936 points.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Moses finished first in the 60-meter hurdles and second in the long jump and pole vault, compiling 4,831 points.
The Golden Lions had similar success in the men’s 400-meter dash. UAPB junior Ross Walrond set a new SWAC indoor record with his 47.15-second gold-medal sprint. Jordan Pierre, a sophomore, finished second at 47.24.
UAPB had five other podium placements. Freshman sprinter Avindale Smith finished second in the 60-meter dash at 6.80, while senior Genesis Joseph finished second in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.05. Senior sprinter Jared Sylvester won bronze in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.13.
The Golden Lions claimed silver in the 4×400-meter relay. Pierre, Walrond, Sylvester and senior Mohamed Soumare finished with a time of 3:12.49.
Senior high jumper Caleb Snowden failed to defend his SWAC championship from last season, finishing runner-up behind Florida A&M junior Paul Rowden. Rowden cleared 2.17 meters in one try, while Snowden needed two attempts. Neither cleared 2.20.
The 2.18-meter height Snowden cleared in this event last year stands as the event record, though it had been cleared once before him by Clifton Smith of Texas Southern in 2011.
On the women’s side, UAPB finished seventh with 40 points. ASU won the women’s title with 145 points.
The Lady Lions’ best event was the weight throw. UAPB sophomore Ariyonna Edmond finished second with a 16.94-meter throw, while senior Lyric Love finished third at 16.59 meters.
The women’s 4×400-meter relay team claimed third place. Freshman Cadese Higgins, junior Kris-Ann Plummer, junior Kaiel Kimble and junior Ashley Robinson finished the event in 3:47.67.
Che Rochford