Salesius Schmidt Shatters Shot Put Record, Tigers Record Multiple PRs at Memphis Invitational

Friday, April 26

Memphis, Tenn.

TBA

University of Memphis

Memphis Tiger Invitational

Sascha Salesius Schmidt school record shot put, 2024 Memphis Invitational

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Salesius Schmidt Shatters Shot Put Record, Tigers Record Multiple PRs at Memphis Invitational

Apr 27, 2024 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

By: Dyawna Gamble

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis track and field team had a great weekend of competition as they competed at home at the annual Memphis Tiger Invitational in Memphis, Tennessee, on Friday and Saturday.

Sascha Salesius Schmidt put on a show for the home Tiger fans in the men's shot put Saturday morning. After multiple lifetime-best throws, Salesius Schmidt launched his final throw, a program-record 19.39 meters (63'7.5"), to smash his previous best by over half a meter and break the 19-meter barrier for the first time in his career. Not only did he shatter former Tiger All-American Luke Vaughn's school record from 2018 by half a meter, but his throw improved his American Athletic Conference lead and moved him to No. 13 in the NCAA.

"With Sascha, we have been seeing the signs for a few weeks that he was 19-meter ready," head coach Kevin Robinson said. "What he did today was a phenomenal display of competitive maturity and poise. Knowing you are ready for a big break through is tough on a lot of athletes, as they tend to compete differently. Today, we had a specific game plan, he stuck to it, and it really paid off in a huge way. I am very proud not just of his throw, but in his growth as an athlete and person."

Salesius Schmidt wasn't the only stand-out performance as the Tigers racked up the personal bests over the two-day meet. The men's shot put group had an especially strong weekend.

"All men's shot putters today walked away with either a PR or a seasons' best. That doesn't happen very often. We were able to create some big energy and fed off of each other's successes. It was really fun to be a part of it, and to see the hard work starting to pay off. Madison [Fleming] in the hurdles, Jadaja [Baxter] in the long jump… there were strong performances across the board."

NOTABLES
• The entire Tiger men's shot put group had a big weekend. Iason Machairas took third overall with a season-best throw of 17.63 meters (57'10.25"), earning the No. 3 spot in the AAC and No. 53 in the NCAA East Region. Darrell Harden placed fifth with his personal-best throw of 15.92 meters (52'2.75") earning him the No. 8 spot in the AAC. Sixth place went to Zaryn Rumfelt for his personal-best throw of 15.40 meters (50'6.25")
• Jadaja Baxter took gold with a lifetime-best jump of 6.22 meters in the women's long jump. That jump puts her top-50 in the NCAA, 22^nd in the NCAA East Region and third in the AAC. Simone Harper followed that up with her own lifetime-best jump of 5.89 meters. That mark moves Harper to No. 13 in the AAC.
• The women's 1500-meter runners all placed in the top eight. Chloe Figgins finished second with a time of 4:43.98, Ashleigh Anderson finished third running 4:45.79 and Jalyssa Smith ran 4:48.81 and placed fifth. Ann Marie Braese finished sixth and achieved a personal record of 4:49.64. Right behind her in seventh place was Ximena Lopez de Escalera who also had a personal-best time of 4:50.52.
• Lewis LaGrant jumped a career-best 2.13 meters (6'11.75) in the men's high jump to finish runner up and move to No. 3 in the AAC, No. 20 in the NCAA East Region and No. 40 in the NCAA. Dajuan Montague was right behind him with his own personal-record clearance of 2.10 meters (6'10.75). That mark moved Montague to No. 4 in the AAC, No. 38 in the NCAA East Region and No. 68 in the NCAA.
• Women's 100-meter hurdler Madison Fleming ran a season-best time of 13.30. That time makes her the 51^st-fastest women's hurdler in the NCAA, 29^th in the NCAA East Region and third in the AAC. Harper posted a lifetime best and ran 13.79 to move to No. 7 in the AAC.
• Kyndia Matlock ran a huge personal best of 11.35 in the women's 100-meter dash. That time placed her first overall and moved her to No. 5 in the AAC.
• Jhayla Walton had a personal best jump of 1.70 meters in the women's high jump. This mark earned her third place and improved her to No. 8 in the AAC. Ariana Razina jumped into fifth place and achieved a personal record of 1.60 meters.
• Men's discus thrower Will Dibo placed first with a throw of 54.87 meters and Jamal Mitchell threw a personal-best 53.10 meters to finish runner up.
• Mi'Asia Bergmann took third place in the women's 200 meters, running 24.38 for a new personal-best time.
• Caleb Barrett recorded a pair of personal records this weekend. His first came in the 100 meters where he placed fourth with a time of 10.81 and the second when he placed seventh with a time of 21.81 in the 200 meters.
• The women's 4x400-meter relay team of Gabrielle Cross, Matlock, Baxter, and Fleming ran a season-best time of 3:47.47 to take gold.
• Ulysses Holbert showed out with a season-best throw of 51.15 meters to take second place in the men's javelin throw. That throw moved him to No. 11 in the conference.

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tiger Track & Field, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.