Online Reporter
Collin Matiza
Zimpapers Sports Hub
UNITED STATES based Zimbabwean sprinters Vimbayi Maisvorewa and Makanakaishe Charamba once again hogged the limelight for Auburn University’s track and field team during the LSU Invitational at the weekend.
Maisvorewa stormed to a bronze medal in the women’s 400m while Charamba played a pivotal role in helping Auburn’s men’s 4x100m relay team strike gold.
On the women’s sprinting side, All-American Maisvorewa delivered yet another sizzling performance in the 400m, her third top-three finish this season. She clocked 50.81 seconds, securing third place as Auburn closed out its regular season with a strong showing from its sprint crew at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium.
Maisvorewa also featured in Auburn’s women’s 4x400m relay team, which powered to a fourth place finish on Saturday, wrapping up a busy day for the rising Zimbabwean star.
According to reports out of Louisiana, two of the Tigers’ three victories came from the ever reliable sprints crew. On top of that, the team delivered six collegiate personal bests, showing depth and form heading into the business end of the season. The men’s 4x100m relay squad, anchored by Olympian Charamba, underlined Auburn’s sprinting fire-power with a commanding performance. The new look quartet of junior Azeem Fahmi, freshman Israel Okon, senior Dario Matau, and Charamba scorched the track in 38.49 seconds, the fourth fastest time in the NCAA this year. Freshman sensation Okon wasn’t done. He blew the field away in the 100m dash, clocking a wind aided 9.91 seconds to snatch gold.
Also joining the Tigers’ winner’s circle was junior Alyssa Quinones-Mixon, who claimed back-to-back victories in the women’s pole vault. She soared to a personal best 4.36m, strengthening her place as the second best performer in school history. In the same 100m race as Okon, Matau and junior Ian Myers showed their mettle, finishing in the top 15. Matau crossed the line in 10.25 to take tenth, while Myers followed in 10.29, placing 14th.
In the men’s 110m hurdles, sophomore Ja’Kobe Tharp claimed silver with the seventh fastest outdoor time in the country, a blistering 13.35 seconds. He later tried his hand at the 200m, posting 21.06 in his collegiate debut over the distance. On the women’s side, Ashantae Harvey proved a real threat in the 400m hurdles, clocking 56.59 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in Auburn program history.
Senior Chante Clinkscale showed consistency across both sprints, recording 11.32 seconds in the 100m and 23.15 in the 200m.
In the throws, junior Megan Hague continued to impress, finishing second overall in shot put with a mark of 17.42m. Freshman Camryn Massey followed with a PR-worthy performance, placing fifth with 15.89m.
The discus saw senior Adrienne Adams claim silver for the second week running (54.18m), with senior Maura Huwalt close behind in third (53.70m). Hague hit a personal record of 51.98m for fourth, while Massey landed in sixth (49.85m).
On the men’s side, senior Kyle Brown notched his fourth top-five finish of the outdoor sea-son in hammer throw, placing fourth with a best of 66.57m on his third attempt. Junior Seth Allen took second in the discus (59.71m), while junior Matthew Rueff competed in shot put, landing 18.22m as his best effort. In the women’s 800m, sophomore Camila Gomes finished fifth, running 2:04.50, narrowly off her personal best of 2:04.13. Fellow sophomore Cady McPhail clocked 2:09.67. For the men, junior Rex Green ran his best race of the season, posting 1:50.92 for 13th in the 800m. In the long jump, sophomores Jay Avery (7.04m) and Shonedra Richardson (5.81m) turned in solid performances, with Richardson securing sixth place on the women’s side.
Auburn wrapped up the meet with the women’s 4x400m relay featuring Maisvorewa, Harvey, Reed, and sophomore Oke, clocking 3:31.23 for fourth. The Tigers now take a week’s break before heading to Lexington, Kentucky, for the SEC Outdoor Championships at Kroger Field from May 15 to 17.
