LAWRENCE, Kan. – Arizona Track and Field senior Reinaldo Rodrigues earned his first Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championship in the long jump.
Rodrigues, who finished ninth in the NCAA Indoor Championships, earning Second-Team All-American honors, earned his first-ever Conference Championship with an outstanding second leap (7.64m/25-0) in the long jump.
Knowing he had the Big 12 Title wrapped up going into his final jump of the competition, his teammates cheered him on from the stands in celebration of his accomplishment. Rodrigues earns the first Big 12 Outdoor Championship in program history and has etched his name in the Arizona Track and Field record books.
Other top finishes included Zach Landa posting the third-best throw in the Shot Put, among a loaded field, he tossed 19.88/65-2) to finish third. Mackenna Orie added another podium, her second of the competition, to her collection with a 4th in the Shot Put (16.20/53-1). Jenica Bosko snuck into the finals on her last jump of three, rising from last to sixth, and then finished 5th in the long jump (6.36/21-0). Tapenisa Havea earned her first points of the weekend with a 6th in the shot put (16.06/52-8).
Junior hurdler Zach Extine torched the competition during his heat, finishing second overall with a time of 13.90 and qualifying for tomorrow’s final.
Sophomore Ava Simms continued to impress in the women’s 400m, winning her heat with a time of 53.17 and qualifying for tomorrow’s final.
Senior Tyson Tippett (6th, 10.40), junior James Onanubosi (8th, 10.49), and junior Brian Limage (9th, 10.50) qualified for the finals in the men’s 100m on Saturday. These three athletes continue to show off the depth of the sprinting group with the Arizona Wildcats.
McKenna Watson sprinted to a time of 11.70 in the women’s 100m and qualified for tomorrow’s final in the event.
Big 12 Scorers
Reinaldo Rodrigues – 1st in Long Jump (7.64m/25-0)
Zach Landa – 3rd in the Shot Put (19.88/65-2)
Mackenna Orie – 4th in Shot Put (16.20/53-1)
Jenica Bosko – 5th in Long Jump (6.36/21-0)
Tapenisa Havea – 6th in Shot Put (16.06/ 52-8)
Other finishes: Women
Lauryn Love – 11th in Shot Put (14.99/49-2)
Olivia Dillon – 15th in Pole Vault (3.91/12-10)
Camila Aguilar-Perez – 16th in 400m (55.73)
Esther Akinlosotu – 21st in 100m (12.05)
Dakota Minor – 28th in…
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at University of Arizona Athletics…