Posted: Feb 19, 2023

Texas Lutheran Competes in TTU Matador Qualifier

LUBBOCK, Texas -- The Texas Lutheran Bulldogs entered the final stretch of the 2023 indoor track and field season with three program records falling at the 2023 Texas Tech Matador Qualifier in Lubbock, Texas, on Friday.

Elijah Jefferson (San Antonio/Construction Careers Academy) and Gerrit Twitero (McQueeney/Seguin) continued their record breaking indoor track and field seasons with each surpassing their own program records. Jefferson nabbed a top five finish in the 200m dash in a Division-I heavy field - finishing fourth with a new school record time of 21.58 seconds. With the time, Jefferson now ranks 11th in the nation and should qualify for the 2023 NCAA Division-III Indoor Track and Field Championships held in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 10-11. Gerrit Twitero continues to raise the bar for the high jump event in the Texas Lutheran track and field program surpassing his own record for the third time this season - setting a new program record of 1.99m to finish sixth overall and first amongst Division-III competitors.

Sophomore Ezra Acero (San Antonio/Harlan) continues his stellar career at TLU - breaking his own school record for the second weekend in a row with a mark of 4.80m in the pole vault after setting the previous program record of 4.60m last week at the FasTrak Indoor Collegiate Challenge. Acero finished eighth in the event overall and first amongst Division-III competitors and now ranks 19th in the country and second in the west region in the pole vault.

Freshman Dalon Harris highlighted the Bulldogs in throws, finishing sixth overall and first amongst Division-III competitors in the shot put with a mark of 15.01m.

Caeli Taylor (Tilden/McMullen County) and Emagen Styra highlighted the women's side with Taylor finishing 15th in the women's mile with a time of 5:52.65 and Strya finishing 12th overall, second amongst Division-III competitors, in the women's shot put with a mark of 11.27m.

Full Results: https://www.tfrrs.org/results/77716/TTU_Matador_Qualifier

Coach Holland's Comments: "As a whole, I thought we had some great performances to finish out our regular season for indoor track & field. Three more school records for the men, plus personal records by many highlighted the meet. And we don't miss a beat heading straight into outdoor season next weekend."

A small contingent of TLU athletes will travel to the CNU Qualifier hosted by Christopher Newport on Sunday, Feb. 26, for one final opportunity to qualify for the 2023 NCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championships while TLU opens its outdoor track and field season at the Hardin-Simmons Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 25.

For all updates on Texas Lutheran Track and Field, follow @tluthrows and @tluxctf on Instagram as well as all official TLU Athletics accounts.