BOONE, N.C. - App State seniors
Taylor Smith and
Jada Branch will represent the Black and Gold for the first time in program history at the 95th Clyde Littlefiled Texas Relays presented by Truist, one of America's most prestigious track meets. The Texas Relays are scheduled for March 29 - April 1, in Austin, Texas, and will be available to stream on the Longhorn Network. Smith and Branch will both compete on Friday, March 31.
Smith will kick things off on Friday in the women's 100 meters, which will be part of the 9:35 a.m. CT (10:35 a.m. ET) morning block of competition. She will also compete in section B of the women's long jump, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. CT (11 a.m. ET). Branch will compete in section B of the women's triple jump at 12:30 p.m. CT (1:30 p.m. ET).
Last Time Out
Smith clocked a time of 11.86 to clinch first in the women's 100 meters at the Adidas Winthrop Invitational (March 24-25). She was also a member of the women's 4x100-meter relay team, which placed first with a time of 45.83. Additionally, Smith took second in the women's 200 meters (24.36) as well as the women's long jump (5.84m (19' 2")).
Friday's competition will mark Branch's first triple jump of the 2023 outdoor campaign. Branch opened the outdoor season with a first-place finish in the women's 4x400-meter relay, with a time of 3:46.61 at the Adidas Winthrop Invitational. She also took third in the women's long jump with a leap of 5.57m (18' 3.25"). Branch had closed out the indoor season by garnering First-Team All-Sun Belt honors for her first-place finish in the women's triple jump with a leap of 12.85m (42' 2") at the Sun Belt Indoor Championships (Feb. 21-22).
Ranked Mountaineers
In the Sun Belt rankings, Smith stands sixth in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4x100-meter relay, and checks in at eighth in the long jump. In the Southeast Region, she ranks eighth in the 4x100-meter relay, 15th in the long jump, 26th in the 100 meters, and 30th in the 200 meters. In the NCAA as a whole, Smith rounds out the top-100 in the long jump category.
Branch stands third in the Sun Belt, 15th in the Southeast Region, and 37th in the East Preliminary qualifying list as part of the 4x400-meter relay team.
Up Next
In addition to the Texas Relays, App State will be sending seven Mountaineers to Williamsburg, Va. to compete in the men's and women's 10,000 meters at the Colonial Relays, hosted by William & Mary, on Friday. The men's and women's squad will also be out in full force at the Bill Carson Invitational, hosted by East Carolina in Greenville, N.C. on Friday and Saturday.
