Texas Lutheran wins third straight SCAC Championship in Men's Track & Field

SAN ANTONIO -- Saturday at Trinity University, Texas Lutheran Men's Track & Field won its third consecutive Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship by scoring 236 points and finishing 46 points ahead of Trinity.

The Bulldogs received conference championships in nine different events over the two days. 

Junior sprinter Darren Jones (Waller/Waller) won the 100 and the 200 titles. Jones, an indoor All-American this year and an outdoor All-American last year, took the title of the SCAC's fastest man with a time of 10.56 seconds. Jones edged his teammate Paris Foster (Magnolia/Magnolia) for the 100 crown. Foster clocked a 10.63.

In the 200, Jones raced to a winning time of 21.53. 

Jones set a new SCAC meet record in the 100, breaking former Bulldog Bryce Johnson's 2017 standard of 10.56. Jones ran the second-fastest 200 in conference meet history.

Dillan Wendel (Wharton/Boling) captured the 800 with a time of 1:54.99, and Foster won the 110 hurdles in a time of 15.01. Travis Roberts (Bastrop/Cedar Creek) finished behind Foster in the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.84.

TLU won the 4x100 relay with a squad that included Foster, Connor Thompson (Nederland/Nederland), Tyler Dykes (Iola/Iola), and Jones. The Bulldogs posted a time of 41.31.

Garrett Garza (Round Rock/Stony Point) captured the SCAC title in the shot put with a new school-record toss of 17.39 meters (57 feet, 3/4 inches). Garza won the shot put title for a third straight year and set the new SCAC meet record as well. Jalen Starks (San Antonio/Antonian) finished as the SCAC runner-up with heave of 14.54 meters (47-8 1/2).

Garza also took the discus title. He won with a mark of 45.35 meters (148-9).

Garza, a three-time champ in the shot put, is the first SCAC man to sweep the discus and the shot in the same meet since Trinity's Justin Campbell in 2013.

TLU also received SCAC runner-up performances from: Thompson in the 400, Caleb Calderon (Austin/Akins) in the 5,000, Caimen McDonough (Canyon Lake/Canyon Lake) in the high jump, Chad Wieland (Seguin/Navarro) in the pole vault, Donovan Williamson (San Antonio/Brennan) in the long jump, and William Guerrier-Gattis (Bishop/Bishop) in the triple jump.

On Friday, Jacob Guercia (Forney/Forney) and Ryan Geiger (Shiner/St. Paul) captured conference championships in the hammer throw and the javelin, respectively.