Texans Capture Event Wins, Strengthen National Marks Ahead of Indoor Championships
With one meet remaining before the Indoor National Championships, the South Plains College Texans delivered a strong performance highlighted by multiple event victories, top-three finishes, and continued movement in the national rankings.
LUBBOCK, TX - The Texans opened competition with solid sprint efforts. Elijah Joseph placed 13th in the 200 meters with a time of 21.09, while Carlton Siwela finished eighth in the 400 meters in 46.68.
In the 600 yards, Joshem Sylvester led the way with a third-place finish at 1:10.37. Zion Miller followed in seventh at 1:10.83, and Demari Caldwell clocked 1:11.53.
The middle-distance crew turned in one of the strongest showings of the meet in the 1000 meters, where Yassine Bounasri captured first place in 2:22.34, narrowly edging teammate Tamer Sakar, who finished second in 2:22.44.
Distance events continued to be a strength for South Plains. Dennis Cheruiyot won the 3000 meters in 8:25.18, while Ylies Mihoubi placed eighth in 8:36.23 and Abdirisak Saidgurhan finished ninth in 8:36.46. Cheruiyot also earned a runner-up finish in the 5000 meters with a time of 14:39.42.
The Texans' Distance Medley Relay team of Ylies Mihoubi, Ismael Risser, Yassine Bounasri, and Dennis Cheruiyot claimed first place with a time of 9:54.61.
In the field events, Jules Courel placed fourth in the pole vault with a clearance of 5.34 meters. Jacorey Harrell finished ninth in the long jump with a mark of 7.02 meters, and Adem Boualbani recorded an 11th-place finish in the triple jump at 14.69 meters.
With one final meet before nationals, the Texans have compiled an impressive list of national-qualifying marks for the indoor season:
200 Meters: Carlton Siwela (5th, 21.11), Caleb Kelly (6th, 21.12), Elijah Joseph (8th, 21.16)
400 Meters: Carlton Siwela (7th, 46.79)
600 Meters: Carlton Siwela (1st, 1:16.59), Yassine Bounasri (2nd, 1:17.25), Joshem Sylvester (6th, 1:18.00)
800 Meters: Yassine Bounasri (1st, 1:47.82)
1000 Meters: Yassine Bounasri (1st, 2:21.93), Tamer Sakar (3rd, 2:22.03)
Mile: Dennis Cheruiyot (8th, 4:08.35)
3000 Meters: Dennis Cheruiyot (2nd, 8:13.51)
5000 Meters: Dennis Cheruiyot (4th, 14:21.51), Ylies Mihoubi (5th, 14:22.89)
4x400 Relay: Siwela, Joseph, Sylvester, Kelly (2nd, 3:08.40)
Distance Medley Relay: Mihoubi, Risser, Bounasri, Cheruiyot (2nd, 9:49.81)
High Jump: Logan Mennel (9th, 2.05m)
Pole Vault: Jules Courel (1st, 5.34m), Diego Constantino (6th, 4.75m)
Long Jump: Adem Boualbani (3rd, 7.58m)
Triple Jump: Adem Boualbani (9th, 14.69m)
The Texans will look to sharpen their performances at their final regular-season meet before heading to the Indoor National Championships. Next weekend the Texans will host the SPC West Texas Shootout.