AUSTIN, TEXAS, March 26-29 — Season openers are for knocking off rust and assessing how the training is going. The Texas Relays told Olympic throwers Curtis Thompson and Ralford Mullings it’s going extremely well. Each easily outdistanced his competition in the javelin and discus.
Thompson’s PR 287-11 (87.76) strengthened his claim as both the United States’ best active javelin thrower and its third longest ever. His winning toss was the farthest by an American since Breaux Greer’s AR 299-6 (91.29) in ’07 and added 2 inches (6cm, to be precise) to his lifetime best. It’s the No. 5 all-time American performance behind three Greer throws and a former AR by Tom Petranoff.
“I’m feeling good,” said Thompson. “Training was going well and we’re just looking at continuing what we’ve been doing. This was a great opener — the best opener. It just shows what we’ve been doing in training has been working, so we’ll keep on building and that was the standard for Worlds so we don’t have to worry about that.”
Looking ahead, Thompson said he might go to the throws meet in Ramona, Oklahoma, in April, and if not that, the Drake Relays. Asked how far he could go this season, he said, “I’m not going to put a limit on it but we’ll keep on going and hopefully once we get to Worlds we can make something happen.”
For Oklahoma junior Mullings, it marked a roaring return to college competition for the ’22 NCAA 3rd-placer (while at Arizona State). His 226-9 (69.13) made him the No. 2 all-time collegiate performer and was the fourth all-time performance — only three tosses by some guy named Mykolas Alekna rank better. However, the throw is not a PR for the Jamaican: last season, competing unattached, he reached 228-7 (69.67) in discus mecca Ramona.
“I was pleased to apply technical changes made in the offseason in a competition setting,” Mullings said. “Although I’m very pleased with the performance, I am still poised. It is early in the outdoor season. Therefore, my coach and I are more concerned about building volume in the weightroom and in the ring.
“Preparation for the meet was very similar to that of a regular training week. I believe the meet reflected the throws we have been taking in practice with good conditions. My hope for the rest of the season is to stay healthy, continue grinding and accumulating throws similar to those in Saturday’s competition, and I should be in a great position to do special things at SECs, Nationals, and the World Championships.”
On the track, fast times abounded, but most were aided by strong winds. Kentucky’s 4×1 notched a strong 38.43, Texas-ex Marcellus Moore clocked 9.97w in the 100 (3.6) and Houston-ex Elijah Hall-Thompson ran 19.98w in the 200 (3.0).
The most notable of these windy runs came from Texas junior Kendrick Smallwood in the 110H. His previous legal PR was a mere 13.74 from ’23, and he missed most of ’24 with a severe abductor injury. In Friday’s prelims, he chopped that down to 13.35 and in Saturday’s finals he blasted a wind-aided (2.3) 13.07w. Wind or not, the mark announced his arrival as an NCAA medal contender.
Upon seeing his time, he fell in a crying heap and said he hadn’t been certain he’d ever return to competition again. After recovering, he said, “It lets me know I’m headed in the right direction. We tweak a couple of things, I see myself potentially going 12.9, 12.8 as long as we fix our little small mistakes and get back to work.”
TEXAS RELAYS MEN’S RESULTS
100(3.9): 1. Nazzio John’ (OhSt-Grn) 10.14w; 2. **Ian Dossman (CSF) 10.16w; 3. *Isaac Botsio’ (WTxAM-Gha) 10.16w; 4. ***David Nyamufarira’ (NMJC-Zim) 10.17w; 5. **James Dadzie’ (WTxAM-Gha) 10.18w.
Inv 100(3.6): 1. Marcellus Moore (unat) 9.97w; 2. Elijah Hall-Thompson (unat) 10.00w; 3. Ryan Zeze’ (Fra) 10.06w; 4. Lawrence Johnson (AthTX) 10.13w; 5. Shaun Maswanganyi’ (SA) 10.22w.
200: II(5.4)–1. Kashie Crockett (TCU) 20.20w.
III(3.0)–1. Elijah Hall-Thompson (unat) 19.98w; 2. Ryan Zeze’ (Fra) 20.02; 3. *Ibrahim Fuseini’ (ETxAM-Gha) 20.09; 4. Terrence Jones’ (Bah) 20.50.
800: 1. *Alex Kalmar (UTA) 1:47.86; 2. Lloyd Frilot (TCU) 1:48.15.
St: 1. *Matthys Bourse’ (WTxAM-Fra) 8:49.60; 2. ***Titus Kimaru’ (TxT-Ken) 8:49.80.
110H(2.3): 1. *Kendrick Smallwood (Tx) 13.07w (a-c: 6, =8 C);
2. *Antoine Andrews’ (TxT-Bah) 13.28w; 3. John Adesola’ (Hous-SA) 13.45w; 4. Sincere Rhea (TxT) 13.48w; 5. **Kai Graves-Blanks (Ia) 13.57w; 6. Jamar Marshall (Hous) 13.63w.
400H: 1. *Kody Blackwood (Tx) 49.98; 2. *Mario Paul (TxT) 50.40.
Relay Events
4 x 100: 1. Kentucky 38.43 (#10 school) (Bascus’, Muunga’, Jones, Makarawu’);
2. Texas Tech 39.21; 3. Texas 39.44; 4. Washington State 39.59.
Inv 4 x 100: 1. Team USA Red 38.43 (Lang, Lightner, Smith, Kerley); 2. Team International 38.98.
4 x 200: I–1. East Texas A&M 1:21.81 (Uyar’, Modeste’, Fuseini’, Fosuhene’); 2. BYU 1:23.31.
II–1. South Plains 1:22.14.
4 x 400: I–1. Texas Tech 3:04.52 (Uter 45.38; 2. BYU 3:06.28; 3. Texas 3:06.53.
II–1. Western Texas 3:05.47; 2. Howard 3:05.49; 3. Grand Canyon 3:06.73.
Inv 4 x 400: 1. Team USA Red 3:02.53 (O’Bryant, Lang, Lightner, Deadmon 45.16); 2. Team International 3:05.44.
4 x 800: 1. Indian Hills CC 7:22.58; 2. Clemson 7:23.65; 3. BYU 7:29.22; 4. Butler CC 7:30.43.
SpMed: 1. Empire Athletics 3:13.70 (Hudson-Smith’, Gardiner’, Jones’, Hudson’); 2. Clemson 3:15.18; 3. South Plains 3:15.80; 4. BYU 3:16.52; 5. TCU 3:20.55; 6. Texas Tech 3:23.24.
Field Events
HJ: 1. **Antrea Mita’ (Hous-Gre) 7-3 (2.21).
PV: 1. Bradley Jelmert (ArSt) 18-2½ (5.55); 2. Scott Toney (Wa) 18-2½; 3. Christyan Sampy (unat) 17-10½ (5.45); 4. Hunter Garretson (Akr) 17-10½.
LJ: 1. Trumaine Jefferson (unat) 25-9½ (7.86); 2. Nikaoli Williams’ (Jam) 25-9¼ (7.85).
TJ: 1. *Brandon Green (Ok) 55-6¼w (16.92) (54-6¾/16.63); 2. **Stafon Roach’ (LaM-Guy) 53-1¾ (16.20); 3. Gabriele Tosti’ (Tarl-Ita) 52-11w (16.13) (52-4½/15.96); 4. Astley Davis’ (Cinc-Jam) 52-6¾w (16.02) (51-10/15.80).
SP: 1. Nik Curtiss (unat) 65-¾ (19.83); 2. Fred Moudani-Likibi’ (Cinc-Fra) 64-¼ (19.51); 3. *Tucker Smith (Ok) 62-8¾ (19.12); 4. **David Wilson (TxT) 62-3¼ (18.98).
DT: 1. *Ralford Mullings’ (Ok-Jam) 226-9 (69.13) (2, 4 C) (220-9, 204-9, 219-10, 214-8, 223-7 [=3, =9 C], 226-9) (67.28, 62.42, 67.02, 65.44, 68.16, 69.13);
2. **Shamar Reid’ (SPl-Jam) 196-2 (59.81); 3. *Texas Tanner (AF) 195-6 (59.59); 4. *Michael Pinckney (UCLA) 191-2 (58.26).
HT: 1. **Ryan Johnson (Ia) 230-5 (70.23); 2. *Texas Tanner (AF) 223-4 (68.09).
JT: 1. Curtis Thompson (TS) 287-11 (87.76) (3, 7 A) (257-2, 287-11, 276-11, 271-9, f, f) (78.39, 87.76, 84.41, 82.84, f, f);
2. *Mike Stein (Ia) 251-7 (76.69); 3. ***LeBron James’ (NMJC-Tri) 242-4 (73.86); 4. ***Preston Kuznof (TCU) 236-10 (72.18); 5. Ryan Rieckmann (Cinc) 233-0 (71.02).
Dec: 1. *Max Stakun-Pickering (NC) 7572; 2. **Ryan Gregory (LBSt) 7557; 3. Brad Thomas (UCSB) 7538; 4. *Diarmuid O’Connor (Ct) 7494; 5. **Joshua Mooney (Ct) 7401.
