KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville Men’s Outdoor Track and Field All-Decade team presented by Whataburger was released on Wednesday, honoring the program’s top performers from 2010 through the 2019 outdoor seasons.
MALE OUTDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE DECADE
Lopez joined the Javelinas after a season competing for the University of Seville in Seville, Spain, and instantly made an impact, being named to the 2015 Outdoor All-Lone Star Conference team and the earning All-Region honors in both the 110m hurdles and as a member of the 4×100 meter relay team. He qualified for the national championships in both events and later took home First Team All-America honors due to a fourth-place finish in the 110m hurdles, clocking in at 13.88.
The 2016 season saw Lopez again reach the NCAA National Championships in the 110m hurdles and the 4×100 meter relay. He managed a second-place finish in Bradenton, Fla., with a time of 13.96 earning him a second-place medal. Additionally, the 4×100 meter relay team reached the podium finishing third and allowing Lopez to head home as a double medal winner.
Lopez rounded out his career as one of the most successful athletes in the history of the program earning All-LSC and All-Region honors from 2015-2018, the 2018 LSC Male Track Athlete of the Year awards, as well as All-America status in 2015,2016 and 2018. The crown jewel of his career includes first-place finishes in both the 110m hurdles and the 4×100 meter relay paving the way for the Javelinas to take the team title at the 2018 NCAA Men’s Outdoor National Championship in Charlotte, N.C.
Today, Lopez holds the program record in the 110m hurdles with his time of 13.56 on March 26, 2016, in Arlington, Texas serving as the standard. In the event, he also holds six of the top ten all-time marks, cementing him as the best sprint hurdle athlete in program history.
MALE OUTDOOR FIELD ATHLETE OF THE DECADE
Jeron Robinson
In 2019, Robinson ended his outdoor season as the top high jumper in the United States, with a mark of 2.30m (7-6.50). However, before his professional career, the Houston native represented the Blue and Gold and is currently the only athlete in program history to earn back-to-back-to-back NCAA Division II Outdoor National Titles.
In addition to his three outdoor national titles, Robinson was named 2013,2014, and 2015 LSC Male Field Athlete of the Year thanks to three consecutive conference championships in the high jump. His list of accolades also includes back-to-back Division II Male Field Athlete of the Year honors from the 2014 and 2015 seasons and was named the South Central Region Male Field Athlete of the Year during those years.
Robinson also won the DII National Athlete of the Week award three times, more than any other member in school history. He continues to hold the NCAA Division II record in the high jump, with his mark of 2.31m (7-7) from the 2015 LSC Championships also serving as the school and conference record. Robinson holds every top-ten high jump mark in school history and currently competes at the highest level in the sport.
MEN’S 4X100 METER RELAY TEAM OF THE DECADE
Todd Nicholas, Deon Hope, Charles Greaves, Javier Lopez
Lopez combined with Hope, Greaves, and Nicholas to run the Javelinas’ fastest 4×100 meter relay time of the decade clocking in at 39.71, a mark that sits third all-time in the Javelina record books. The squad ran this time at the 2018 National Championship, finishing atop the podium. Additionally, their time was the fastest of any relay team throughout the 2018 season, earning the quartet the Accusplit relay award.
MEN’S 4X400 METER RELAY TEAM OF THE DECADE
Roman Moreno, Marckenley Belony, Johnny Davila, Ayman Zahafi
3:11.34 was all it took for Moreno, Belony, Davila, and Zahafi to take the gold at the 2019 Abilene Christian University Last Chance meet. The mark currently sits 10th on the all-time performance list.
MEN’S SPRINTERS
Tim Price
Price’s career saw him garner many accolades including being named the 2014 J.H. Shelton Award, given to the Lone Star Conference most outstanding performer of the season. He was named All-LSC and All-Region in the years 2011, 2012 and 2014 in the 100-meter dash, the 4×100 meter relay, and the 200-meter dash. He achieved USTFCCCA All-America status in 2011 for the 4×100 meter relay, and the 100m and 200m competition in 2012. His 100-meter time of 10.19 is third all-time in TAMUK and serves as the stadium record at Pepsi Field at Javelina Stadium, while his 200m personal best of 20.79 is also third in school history. Top finishes at the national meet came in 2012 where Price finished fourth in the 100m, and third in the 200m. In 2011, he combined with Anthony Washington, Tommy Singletary, and Jonathon Woodson to finish fourth in the 4×100-meter relay at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Kenneth Jackson
Jackson saw success during his tenure, being named All-LSC and All-America during the 2016 season. The Compton, Calif., native clocked in at 10.28 to claim a conference championship in the 100-meter dash, a mark that is eighth in Javelina history. He later joined Lutalo Boyce, Javier Lopez, and Deon Hope in taking home the conference championship in the 4×100 meter relay. At the 2016 National Championship, Jackson placed eighth in the 100m with a time of 10.45 while taking home a bronze medal in the 4x100m after clocking in at 39.80.
Jonathon Woodson
A multi-sport athlete, Woodson spent his falls on the gridiron and his springs on the track at Pepsi Field at Javelina Stadium where the Marshall High School product achieved All-America status in both sports. His first year on the track he served as a relay specialist on a dominant squad that finished seventh in the 4x100m. The 2011 season saw him climb to new heights in the 200-meter dash, his time of 21.12 placing him fifth at the national meet, while the 4x100m squad placed fourth in 40.71. In 2012, he joined the 4×400 meter relay team with an eighth-place finish at nationals and again placed fifth in the 200m. Woodson’s senior season saw him grab one final All-American award as the 4x100m relay team logged a sixth-place finish. His 200m PR of 20.88 is seventh in school history.
MEN’S MIDDLE DISTANCE
Hailing from Casablanca, Morocco, Zahafi is the current school record holder in the 800-meter run after clocking in at 1:48.54 en route to a conference championship in the event. He was a 2018 and 2019 USTFCCA All-Region selection and qualified for nationals in both years. At the 2019 championships, Zahafi managed a second-place finish in the 800m, earning him All-America honors.
Downs competed for the Javelinas during the 2018 outdoor season after transferring from South Plains College and immediately made an impact. The 800-meter specialist earned All-Region and All-America honors in the event after placing sixth at the national meet with a time of 1:48.68, the second-best time in school history.
Michael Idziak
An All-American in the 800-meter run, Idziak was a four-time national qualifier in the event, recording top-ten finishes in 2014, 2015, and 2016. His best place came in his senior season where he finished sixth in 2016 with a time of 1:51.12. He clocked in at 1:49.64 at the Bayou Bengal Invitational in 2014, the fifth-best time ever ran by a Blue and Gold uniform. He also holds the fifth-best time in the 1500-meter run after he ran a time of 3:58.29 at the LSC championships in Stephenville, Texas. Idziak also an LSC All-Academic in 2013 and 2014.
MEN’S LONG DISTANCE
Kiya Dandena
Dandena is the school record holder in the 10k at 29:59.66, an event he dominated throughout his collegiate career as he earned a pair of silver medals at the 2011 and 2012 conference meets. Additionally, he found success in the 5k where he placed second in 2011 and fifth in 2012 at the conference championships and is third all-time with a personal best of 14:38.95. He was a 2012 All-Region selection and is currently competing professionally, running for the Hoka One One Northern Arizona Elite club.
MEN’S HURDLERS
Sergio Rios
Rios qualified for the National Championships during 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014 seasons, and earned All-America honors in the 400-meter hurdles three times, once as a member of the 4×400 meter relay team. In the 400-meter hurdles, Rios logged a fourth-place finish at the 2014 National Championships, a third-place finish at the 2012 championships, and a fifth-place finish in 2011. He holds the school record in the event with a personal best time of 50.27 and is second all-time in the 400-meter run after clocking in at 48.72 at the 2013 LSC Championship meet.
MEN’S JUMPERS
Jordan Yamoah
A pole vault specialist, Yamoah holds six of the top-ten heights achieved by a Javelina athlete, with his collegiate-best of 5.40m (17-8.5) sitting third on the leaderboard. He was an LSC champion in the event from 2014-2016, as well as a National Champion in 2013 and 2016. Additionally, he placed second in 2014 and 2015 cementing his All-American status from 2013-2016. He was named the 2013 LSC Outstanding Male Field Athlete and the 2013 and 2014 LSC Male Field Athlete of the Year.
Lutalo Boyce
Boyce owns the school record in the long jump, with his distance of 7.95m (26-1) winning him the 2016 Lone Star Conference title and earning him qualification to the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. He won the LSC long jump in 2015 as well and was a part of a 4×100 meter relay team that won back-to-back conference titles. He was an All-American in 2015 in the long jump when he finished second at nationals with a distance of 7.87m (25-10) and again achieved that distinction in 2016 as he joined the 4×100 meter relay team with a third-place finish.
C.J. Griggs
Griggs qualified for the national meet in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 and achieved All-American status in 2012, 2012, and 2013. He placed seventh in the 2010 triple jump competition, before claiming the National Championship in 2012 with a jump of 15.78m (51-9.25) and repeating as the champ in 2013 with a jump of 15.98m (52-5.25). The latter mark serves as the school record and he holds the third-fastest 4×100 meter relay time at 39.71.
Scoring more points than any other athlete during the Javelinas 2018 National Championship run, Greaves dominated the event capping off an incredible career. The Barbados native was an individual national champion in the triple jump, where he leaped to 16.08m (52-9.25) and was a part of the Men’s 4×100-Meter Relay Team of the Decade that won a national championship as well. Greaves was not done yet as he logged a silver medal finish in the long jump, with a personal best of 7.88m (25-10.25). His efforts earned him multiple accolades including being named 2018 Division II Male Field Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA.
MEN’S THROWERS
Possibly the best thrower in Javelina history, Cervantes holds the school record in both the shot put and the discus as he amassed a toss of 19.27m (63-2.75) in the shot and 58.73 (192-8) in the disc. He holds every top shot put mark except for one, which is held by former Chicago Bear Roberto Garza. Cervantes run of dominance saw back-to-back years as an All-American, with the former Sharyland Pioneer winning the national championship in the shot put and placing third in the discus at the 2018 national meet that collected 16 points that led the men to the team title. He again performed exceptionally well during the 2019 championships, finishing third in the shot put and second in the discus. Cervantes was the 2018 Oscar Strahan Award win for the Lone Star Conference Outstanding Male Field Athlete and was honored as the recipient of the 2018-19 Gil E. Steinke award winner as the university’s best athletic performer of the year.
Javan Gray
A javelin specialist, Gray got it done both on the runway and in the classroom as he was named the 2015 Division II Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was crowned national champion in the javelin thanks to a mark of 71.21m (233-7) in Allendale, Mich., which is also the school record. He also found his way onto the CoSIDA Academic All-America and All-District IV teams during his incredible 2015 season.
Zhgun took over as TAMUK’s main javelin thrower in the 2017 season and earned his way to back-to-back-to-back national qualifications from 2017-2019. His best finish came in 2018 as a part of the men’s team title where he took third with a toss of 68.55m (224-11). In addition to his success at the national meet, Zhgun owns seven of the ten top-marks in the Javelina record books, with his career-best of 70.84m (232-5) slotted second all-time.
MULTI-EVENT
Hailing from Lorena, Texas, Harper burst onto the scene in the 2018 season where he shocked the world with a seventh-place finish in the decathlon at the national championships. He’s grown from a decathlon score of 6584 in his first collegiate competition to a whopping 7245 that is second all-time for a Blue and Gold Uniform, and he’s reached the national meet every year he’s competed. During the 2019 season, Harper posted a score of 7144 at the national meet and placed fourth, his best as a Javelina decathlete. Additionally, he is poised to enter the 2021 season as a top competitor and a possible national champion in the decathlon.
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