HOUSTON – Senior Nayla Harris picked up right where she left off after a breakout junior season for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Valley track & field program, opening her indoor season by breaking her own program record and winning the women’s 60-meter dash Saturday at the Leonard Hilton Memorial Invitational at Houston’s Yeoman Fieldhouse.
Harris ran a personal best 7.18 in the 60 final, which stands as the No. 2 time in the nation at the time of publication. At the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships, 7.18 would have been fast enough to finish sixth. Harris advanced as the top qualifier out of semifinals, where she ran 7.23 – temporarily the program record until her huge finals race.
Junior N Vanee Anchike and sophomore Jefferson Jean also set program records as the Vaqueros made nine total entries into the indoor program record books and racked up 11 personal bests.
Anchike had a massive day in the distance events, winning both the women’s mile and 1,000-meter run. She set a program record in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:55.68 and tabbed the fourth-best race in program history in the mile, running 5:00.79. She is the only UTRGV woman to ever break three minutes in the 1,000.
Jean set a program record in the men’s 60-meter hurdles. He took second in finals, running a personal best 7.90 after running 8.05 – the No. 4 time in program history – to advance out of semifinals.
UTRGV picked up five event wins in Houston. Sophomore Jizzale Davis won the women’s 200-meter dash in 24.44 after placing seventh in the 60. Junior Aaron Cooper was victorious in the men’s triple jump with a mark of 14.82 meters, taking the No. 10 spot in program history for his fifth indoor entry.
The Vaqueros enjoyed plenty of success in the short races. UTRGV advanced three to finals in the women’s 60 as junior Aniya Heckstall took fifth, finishing between Harris and Davis as she clocked a personal best 7.58. Heckstall was also fifth in the women’s 200 as the Vaqueros claimed four of the top five spots in the event. Senior Kaliyah Poston was third and junior Treasure Vallerie finished fourth. Senior Brownsville Hanna alum Aliyah Castillo ran a personal best in the event.
The distance crew tabbed four personal bests on a solid day. Senior Lilliana Guerrero was second behind Anchike in the women’s mile, running a PB 5:04.63 to claim the No. 6 spot in program history. In the women’s 3,000-meter run, senior PSJA High alum Faith Cruz ran a PB 10:02.57 to finish third with the No. 4 time in program history. Senior Abraham Morales was third in the men’s mile with a personal best time of 4:18.39 and freshman Adrianno Gonzalez took fifth.
Senior Corin Burns and sophomore Richard Young led the men’s sprint group. Burns and Young were third and sixth, respectively, in the men’s 60-meter dash. Young finished third in the men’s 200-meter dash, followed by junior Brownsville Hanna alum Alejandro Arellano in fifth. Arellano clocked a personal best in the 60-meter dash.
Junior Keamonie Archie transitioned from the gridiron to the runway and took third in long jump with a mark of 7.06 meters. Sophomore Zaire Cunningham was fifth in the men’s high jump with a personal best clearance of 2.00 meters.
UTRGV advanced two to the women’s 60-meter hurdles final. Freshman Dior Williams finished fourth with a PB time of 8.58 while sophomore Trezur Connley was eighth. Junior Ashley Lingueno, competing in her first meet since Jan. 2024 due to injury, ran a personal best 8.95 in the semifinals of the 60 hurdles.
Senior Derrius Henry finished third in the men’s 600-yard run and sophomore Diego Pina was fourth in the men’s 800-meter run. Senior Efe Latham took sixth in both of her throwing events. Junior La’Zariah Bethany was sixth in women’s triple jump.
The Vaqueros will be back in action Feb. 6-7 at Texas A&M’s Charlie Thomas Invitational.
UTRGV RESULTS
Field Events
Women’s weight throw
6. Efe Latham, 15.84m
Women’s shot put
6. Efe Latham, 13.93m
Men’s shot put
Antoine Walker, FOUL
Men’s high jump
5. Zaire Cunningham, 2.00m
11. Paul Agba, 1.90m
Women’s long jump
13. Saniyah Richardson, 5.17m
15. Nayla Harris, 5.10m
Men’s long jump
3. Keamonie Archie, 7.06m
Women’s triple jump
6. La’Zariah Bethany, 11.80m
Avianna Miller, FOUL
Men’s triple jump
1. Aaron Cooper, 14.82m
· 10th in program history
5. Hebrew Hunter, 14.10m
Running Events
Women’s 60-meter dash semifinal, 1:30 p.m.
1. Nayla Harris, 7.23 (advanced to final)
· 2nd in program history
4. Aniya Heckstall, 7.61 (advanced to final)
7. Jizzale Davis, 7.65 (advanced to final)
11. Kaliyah Poston, 7.70
13. Ashley Lingueno, 7.76
23. Aliyah Castillo, 7.98
43. Treasure Vallerie, 8.44
Men’s 60-meter dash semifinal
7. Corin Burns, 6.84 (advanced to final)
T8. Richard Young, 6.84 (advanced to final)
29. Keamonie Archie, 7.02
T36. Alejandro Arellano, 7.04
41. Gael Romo, 7.06
73. Derrick Hahn, 7.70
Men’s 600-yard run
3. Derrius Henry, 1:11.99
Men’s 60-meter hurdles semifinal
7. Jefferson Jean, 8.05 (advanced to final)
· 4th in program history
8. Daniel Siaffa, 8.20 (advanced to final)
12. Jaylen Critton, 8.38
17. Braydn Gilliam, 8.46
Women’s 60-meter hurdles semifinal
5. Dior Williams, 8.67 (advanced to final)
7. Trezur Connley, 8.82 (advanced to final)
14. Ashley Lingueno, 8.95
17. Madisyn Jackson, 9.08
Women’s mile
1. N Vanee Anchike, 5:00.79
· 4th in program history
2. Lilliana Guerrero, 5:04.63
· 6th in program history
5. Kailey Salazar, 5:06.20
Men’s mile
3. Abraham Morales, 4:18.39
5. Adrianno Gonzalez, 4:20.10
Nirmit Dahiya, DNF
Women’s 400-meter dash
8. Talyna Ligier, 58.95
11. Madisyn Jackson, 59.67
Men’s 400-meter dash
14. Jaylen Critton, 52.31
Women’s 60-meter hurdles final
4. Dior Williams, 8.58
8. Trezur Connley, 8.84
Men’s 60-meter hurdles final
2. Jefferson Jean, 7.90
· Program Record
Daniel Siaffa, DNF
Women’s 60-meter dash final
1. Nayla Harris, 7.18
· Program Record
5. Aniya Heckstall, 7.58
7. Jizzale Davis, 7.71
Men’s 60-meter dash final
3. Corin Burns, 6.79
6. Richard Young, 6.80
Women’s 1,000-meter run
1. N Vanee Anchike, 2:55.68
· Program Record
Men’s 800-meter run
4. Diego Pina, 2:01.20
Women’s 200-meter dash
1. Jizzale Davis, 24.44
3. Kaliyah Poston, 24.93
4. Treasure Vallerie, 24.98
5. Aniya Heckstall, 25.02
10. Dior Williams, 25.46
11. Aliyah Castillo, 25.54
17. Saniyah Richardson, 26.04
32. Trezur Connley, 27.83
Men’s 200-meter dash
3. Richard Young, 21.87
5. Alejandro Arellano, 21.97
18. Derrick Hahn, 22.58
19. Gael Romo, 22.59
22. Braydn Gilliam, 22.69
38. Jefferson Jean, 23.53
Women’s 3,000-meter run
3. Faith Cruz, 10:02.57
· 4th in program history
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