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Rachel O’Brien, 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams highlight day two of Willie Williams Classic.
Source: NMSU Athletics
Photo and Story By Emilio Garcia for NMSU: Courtesy
TUCSON, Ariz. – After posting multiple first-place finishes and solid showings on Friday, NM State returned to the track on Saturday for day two of the Willie Williams Classic, hosted by the University of Arizona.
Recording a top finish and posting a school record in the 1500 meters on Friday, Rachel O’Brien tallied another first-place result in the 800m. Alongside O’Brien, a duo of Aggie relay teams crossed the line in third place.
Track Headlines
The 4×100 relay kicked off the day of competition at Drachman Stadium, with a quartet of Marlee Cavitt, Jhana Downie, Sierra Brewer and Mickaliliah Vassell taking to the track – crossing the line with a time of 44.68 seconds to finish third overall. This mark represents the fifth fastest in program history.
A trio of student-athletes competed in the 100m hurdles for the Crimson & White, with Breanna Moss posting the top time among Aggies of 14.40, with Cameron Hodges tallying a time of 15.15. True freshman Sara McKee made her NM State debut.
Jahnya Hill was the sole entrant in the 400m dash for the Aggies, collecting a personal best time of 55.93 and just nearly missing out on a top-ten mark in program history; Hill is represented in the record book four times as a member of multiple 4×400 teams.
A trio of Aggies took part in the 800m run, with Rachel O’Brien taking gold with a time of 2:07.76 – the second-fastest mark in NM State history. Marlene Mosqueda (2:12.98) recorded an outdoor best and crossed the line sixth overall, while Angela Korte (2:16.11) tallied a personal best to finish ninth.
In the largest individual event grouping of the afternoon, five Aggies competed in the 100m dash. Jhana Downie notched a new personal best (11.67) to finish in sixth place, with Sierra Brewer(11.73) joining Downie in the top ten with an eighth-place result. Jaylah McDonnell (11.83) and Julissa Daniels (12.68, +2.2 m/s) made their 100m dash debut, and Angelina Killings posted a mark of 12.93.
Closing the weekend with the 4x400m relay, three teams represented the Crimson & White in the event. Splitting the group that took second in the 2024 CUSA Indoor Track & Field Championships, the ‘B’ team of Jaylah McDonnell, Sierra Brewer, Jhana Downie and Jahnya Hill finished in third place with a time of 3:43.61. Just behind in fourth place was the ‘A’ team of Breanna Moss, Marlee Cavitt, Mickaliliah Vassell and Sahara Tasker, posting a time of 3:45.64.
The ‘C’ team comprised of distance runners including Angela Korte, Marlene Mosqueda, Nia Allison and Rachel O’Brien finished with a time of 3:57.76.
Field Headlines
The high jump comprised the first field event on the second day of competition, with Aillen Alvarado posting a mark of 1.59m (5-2.5″) – just missing her outdoor best of 1.60m (5-3″) recorded at the 2024 edition of the Willie Williams Classic.
The final field event of the weekend was the discus toss, where Kamryn Cadle tallied the top mark for NM State with a distance of 39.92m (131′), while Baliey Beene (36.85m; [120-11″]) and Ellie Breckenridge (33.83; [111′]) debuted for the Crimson & White in the event.
Top-3 Finishes
Rachel O’Brien – 800m (1st)
Marlee Cavitt, Jhana Downie, Sierra Brewer and Mickaliliah Vassell – 4x100m (3rd)
Jaylah McDonnell, Sierra Brewer, Jhana Downie and Jahnya Hill – 4x400m (3rd)
Personal Bests
Jahnya Hill – 400m (55.93)
Rachel O’Brien – 800m (2:07.76)
Angela Korte – 800m (2:16.11)
Jhana Downie – 100m (11.67)
Friday’s Results:
Nia Allison, Thomas Croshaw Capture 5K Victories to Pace Aggies at Willie Williams Classic
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State returned to outdoor competition on Friday as they partook in the Willie Williams Classic, hosted by the University of Arizona. NM State posted a successful day one, headlined by a school record in Rachel O’Brien’s outdoor debut for the Crimson & White – posting a time of 4:21.07 to take first overall. O’Brien was joined by Nia Allison 17:24.66 and Thomas Croshaw (14:15.68), who each tallied first-place finishes and personal best in their 5K’s.
Track Headlines
The 200m dash began the afternoon on the track, with Sahara Tasker tallying the top time for NM State, posting a time of 24.03 in her first 200m as an Aggie. Just behind Tasker, Marlee Cavitt(24.22) posted an outdoor best, while Mickaliliah Vassell (24.29) recorded a personal best.
The 3000m steeplechase saw a pair of Aggies compete – Jordan Torres and Murrie Dodge, making her first appearance in the event after training since last season. Torres recorded the top finish, posting a time of 11:31.63, while Dodge crossed the line with a mark of 11:58.33.
In the 1500m, all three NM State finishers produced personal bests, with Rachel O’Brien taking the top spot overall with a time of 4:21.07 to set a school record set in 2022. Nia Allison finished second on the team behind O’Brien, tallying a mark of 4:36.35. Competing in heat two, Angela Korte secured the top finish in her heat with a personal best mark of 4:49.52.
A select group of men’s cross country athletes made the trek to Tucson, with the first group competing in the 1500m. True freshman Orion Chavez tallied the top spot for the Crimson & White, posting a time of 4:05.85. Junior and Arizona native Jonah Archer finished with a near personal best with a mark of 4:12.98, while Angel Maese fninished with a time of 4:19.18.
The 5000m run closed the weekend for the Aggies, with Nia Allison claiming the top spot off a massive personal best, taking over two minutes off her previous best to finish with a time of 17:24.66. Khloi Bird finished third overall with a mark of 17:37.44, while Kayla O’Connell (17:38.53) and Trista Cordova (18:10.45) recorded personal bests.
In the men’s edition of the 5000m, sophomore Thomas Croshaw posted a personal best and took the top spot in the event with a time of 14:15.68. Arizona transfer Andrew Gibby finished third overall, posting a time of 14:43.39. Jonah Archer tallied a time of 15:50.31 to pace the Aggies in heat two – competing in track & field events for the first time since transferring in from Grand Canyon last summer.
Field Headlines
The javelin began the day for the Aggies, with Bailey Beene advancing to finals with a mark of 43.15m, while Kylie Rubrecht made her Crimson & White debut. Starting shortly afterwards, the hammer throw saw the debut of Samonne Cauley in outdoor competition.
In the long jump – a quintet of Aggies competed – including the outdoor debut of Jaylah McDonnell and Julissa Daniels. McDonnell tallied a major personal best in the event, recording a mark of 5.75m to take second overall. Cameron Hodges joined McDonnell in the finals, taking sixth overall with a mark of 5.60m. Breanna Moss also tallied a personal best on the day with a mark of 5.06m.
The shot put closed NM State’s day in field events, with Kamryn Cadle posting a personal best distance of 14.22m – advancing to finals and finishing sixth overall. Cauley was joined in the event by true freshman Ellie Breckenridge, also making her NM state debut – Cauley competed in indoor competition for the Aggies in 2024).
