By Ricardo Garcia (@Rickygdeportes)- Spear Reporter
The SJSU track and field team traveled to Albuquerque New Mexico to compete in the UNM Indoor open, and the result was multiple solid times and PRs on both the women’s and men’s sides.
On day one of the competition, it was the freshman that made their presence known with some stand-out performances to start the event.
Freshman jumper Ajamu Reed, who participated in the second flight of the men’s long jump, recorded a 7.33 meter jump marking his furthest jump at the collegiate level to set a new SJSU indoor record.
In the unseeded Men’s 200-meter dash, freshman sprinter Christopher Coats came up in second just narrowly missing out on the top spot with an impressive time of 21.26 seconds.
Senior sprinter Roman Johnson achieved a third-place finish for the Spartans in the finals of the Men’s 60-meter dash with a time of 6.77 seconds.
Head coach Charles Ryan was impressed as he shared his thoughts on his squad’s opening-day performance.
The positive production did not stop in the women’s events, as freshman sprinter Alyssa Bean took first place in the unseeded women’s 200-meter dash with a time of 23.92 seconds. Bean was only getting started, securing another top three finish this time finishing in second in the women’s 400-meter dash.
Sophomore jumper Emilia Sjostrand had herself a day as well with a fourth-place finish in the Women’s long jump and a first place finish in the Women’s triple jump with a 13.37-meter jump.
After only the third event of the season, the young components of this team are beginning to find their stride, which could prove to be a vital factor in the team’s success for the remainder of the season.
The Spartans will have some time to get some rest and recharge before they return to Albuquerque on Feb. 10th for the Don Kirby invitational.
