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AUSTIN -- Abilene Christian University claimed its third and fourth victories of the 79th annual Texas Relays Saturday with wins by the Wildcat men's 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams.
Coach Don D. Hood's team closed its weekend by winning the 4x400 event for the college division in 3:07.48, its best time of the season and the top mark in NCAA Division II this spring. Earlier Saturday at Myers Stadium the Wildcats sprinted to 40.53 to take the college division 4x100 relay. It was the first win in a Texas Relays relay event for Abilene Christian since 2001.
Delt Cockrell anchored the 4x400 unit in 46.7, but it was a 46.3 on the second lap by freshman Jordan Johnson that put the Wildcats in control of the race. Brant Gilbert started the foursome in 47.6, and Elton Garus-Oab took the third 400 assignment in 46.9.
Cockrell started the sprint relay team that also included Marvin Bien-Aime, Gilbert and Johnson on the anchor. Bien-Aime, last year's NCAA Division II 200 champion, and Gilbert were also finalists in the college men's 100, but they were well back of leader Dominique Stafford of Barton (10.34). Bien-Aime ran 10.65 for fifth, and Gilbert was sixth in 10.75.
The only other Saturday entry for the Wildcats was the women's distance medley relay team, which finished third in the university division in 11:31.86. Trina Cox, who picked up ACU's first win in Friday's women's university steeplechase with a NCAA Division II record, anchored with 4:52.7 for her 1600 meters on the distance medley.
The Wildcats were contenders throughout the race, which was won by Baylor in 11:19.45. Mississippi State was runner-up in 11:29.63. Olha Kryv'yak started the Wildcats with 3:32.3 for the opening 1200, Keva Wilkins ran 54.0 for 400, and Denise Morgan covered her 800 in 2:12.9 before Cox's finish.
Next action for the Wildcats will be April 14-16 at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., before the Lone Star Conference championships, April 21-22 in Stephenville.
ACU's other victory at the 2006 Texas Relays came from Nicodemus Naimadu with a stadium record in the men's university steeplechase on Friday to give Wildcats a sweep of the steeplechase events.
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