The WTAMU Buffs and Lady Buffs track and fieldteams hosted the first annual West Texas A&M Classic on March 2-3. WT’s men and women combined for 23 top-five finishes over the weekend.

Junior Servell Dandrigde won the discus for WT with a throw of 57.75m. The Buffs won the hammer throw with a toss of 41.68m by senior Dane Hamrick. Hamrick also placed fifth and third in the shot put with throws of 14.39m and 15.8m, respectively.

Junior Tanner Dennis placed second in the pole vault with a height of 4.65m. The Buffs picked up a win in the 400m when freshman Ellis Maise ran it in 50.62 seconds. Freshman Dylan Doss won the 300m steeplechase with a time of 9:28.26 and junior Jacob Villareal won the 10,000m, running it in 33:35.63.The Lady Buffs also had a strong showing. Junior Rachel King provisionally qualified for nationals by placing third in the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.31. Two other Lady Buffs finished right behind her to give WT three top-five finishes in one race. Freshman Mackenzie Crane topped the pole vault with a height of 3.05m and junior Jessica Blakely won the 300m steeplechase with a time of 12:17.36. WT’s last win came when junior Aries Bazaldua took the 5,000m with a time of 18:35.74.

The Lady Buffs also had several second place finishes including sophomore Casey Nelson’s 12.07m shot put throw. Freshman Jessie Thomas ran the 400m in 58.53 for second place. Sophomore Amber Moore also finished second in the 800m with a time of 2:22.14.

The weekend meet on the WT campus also provided a showcase for the entire program and their facilities.

“We weren’t looking to run our best, we were just looking to promote our program,” Student Assistant Coach Gary Newell said. “I can’t wait until April when it warms up and we are at our best.”