EDINBURG — After winning conference titles in the weight throw and shot put at the Western Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships in 2020, UTRGV thrower Paul May went into the 2020 outdoor season with high expectations.
Before May had a chance to compete, the WAC announced the cancellation of all sports for the remainder of the year, leaving the senior thrower’s future full of uncertainty.
After the NCAA voted to allow an extra year of eligibility to those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, May decided to return to UTRGV for one final year.
Now, May is seeking to add some hardware to his collection, with the redshirt senior competing in the hammer throw, shot put and discus at the WAC Championships, which began Thursday at the UTRGV Track and Field Complex in Edinburg.
“It’s been a blessing honestly,” May said. “I could just call it a blessing. Just giving an example with the COVID situation. Just right when you think things aren’t looking good or there is so much uncertainty, I got blessed with another track season and got the opportunity to pursue my master’s degree. It all ended up working out in my favor, given that it was a big tragedy and the whole world felt it, but it worked out in my favor in the long run.”
This season, May broke the school record in the shot put twice, a record that May set himself in 2018. At the Roadrunner Invitational on April 16, May recorded a throw of 59 feet, 4.25 inches, beating his 2021 record of 58-4.75 and his previous school record of 57-5.5 from 2018.
May also holds the school record in the discus at 183-2, set earlier this year. For Vaqueros throwing coach Brad Foote, May’s success comes from his knowing that this may be his last chance to compete. Still, Foote believes May has yet to reach his peak.
“I think we went four or five months without practice and his focus just got away a bit,” Foote said. “And then, it was probably the wake-up call in December where he just knew he had to start doing more. He snapped out of it. A lot of the things he’s doing now are things that we were expecting last year. I’m expecting even more. He’s broken some records and I think he can extend those records. He’s just got to go out here and execute.”
Through the first two days of 2021 WAC Championships, May has recorded a second-place finish in the hammer throw, while earning the conference title in the shot put Friday with a throw of 59-4.25.
Joining May at the podium in the shot put was teammate Michael Gonzalez, who finished third in the event with a mark of 55-2. Coming away with the silver was Grand Canyon’s Deshon Toney, posting a 55-7.5 throw.
While May dominated on the field for the men, a trio of UTRGV jumpers claimed the top three spots in the long jump. Zarrey Sams and Aviana Goode finished in second and third, respectively, with Idatonye Cheetham-West winning the conference title with a jump of 20-5.
In the shot put, throwers Alexandrea Hurst and Desirea Buerge added to UTRGV’s dominant day, taking home the silver and bronze medals in the event, respectively. New Mexico State’s Yemisi Oroyinyin took home the women’s shot put crown with a mark of 51-11.
The Vaqueros collected seven medals Friday (five women, two men), bringing their total for the meet to 11, second only to Grand Canyon with 16.
During the track preliminary heats, UTRGV qualified 18 athletes for today’s finals. Among those qualifying was sprinter Yashawn Hamilton, who came away with the fastest time of any athlete during the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.63 seconds.
Meanwhile, Vaqueros sprinter Tamara Woodley blazed past the competition and into the finals with a time of 23.72 seconds during the 200-meter dash, the fastest of any athlete in the five preliminary heats.
With two days complete, Grand Canyon sat atop both the men’s and women’s overall team standings with 109 and 105.5 points, respectively.
Holding the No. 2 spot in the men’s division is Utah Valley with 63 points, followed by UTRGV with 61 points, not including the results of the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.
After Friday’s events New Mexico State sat in second place in the women’s standings with 61.5 points, with UTRGV on its tail at the No. 3 spot with 51 points.
The final day of the WAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship is set to begin at noon today with the field events, followed by the track event finals at 5 p.m.
