Track & Field 4/13/2026 11:00:00 AM Chris Brannick

Central Has Eight Top 10s In Norman

NORMAN, Okla. – Central Oklahoma recorded eight top-10 finishes at the annual John Jacobs Invitational Friday at OU's John Jacobs Track & Field Complex.

Gabija Pukstas finished third in the 800-meter race while Tyana Hymes took third in the 400-meter hurdles. Hymes also finished fourth in the 100m hurdles.

Maya Winterburn finished fourth and Kylee Smith sixth in the 3000-meter steeplechase.

Abigail Kelly added a 10th-place finish in the shot put. Lily Melton finished 10th in the 1500m. And McKenna Huston also earned a 10th-place finish in the 400m.

Pukstas was Central's only competitor in the 800m and the freshman from Stillwater ran a season-best 2:16.27 for the third-place mark. She was behind only two runners from OU and was in front of runners from OU and Oral Roberts among the top five finishers.

In the 100-meter hurdles, Hymes finished in 14.95 seconds to finish fourth. She completed the 400-meter hurdles in 1:04.79 to earn a third-place finish. She was the highest non-Division I competitor in both events. Both of her marks are career bests for the sophomore from Texas.

The 3,000-meter Steeplechase had seven entries, two from Oral Roberts, two from Southeastern Oklahoma State, and one from Southern Nazarene to go with Central's two entries. Winterburn finished fourth in 13:10.84 and Smith was sixth in 13:38.44. The UCO duo has competed in the event twice this season and both finished faster Friday in Norman than their previous attempts last month at Oklahoma Baptist.

Among the trio of Bronchos that finished 10th, Kelly in the shot put (11.83 meters) and Huston in the 400m (58.34 seconds) both recorded their second-best marks of the season, while Melton in the 1500m (5:06.03) was her best this year.

Central Oklahoma has one more meet in the regular season before heading to the MIAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships next month. UCO is scheduled to compete in North Texas' Bill Schmidt Invite this weekend. The MIAAs are scheduled for May 1-3 in Pittsburg, Kansas.

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Players Mentioned

Tyana Hymes: Hurdles; 5' 4"; Sophomore

Abigail Kelly: Throws; Junior

Kylee Smith: Distance; Senior

McKenna Huston: Sprints; Sophomore

Gabija Pukstas: Distance; Freshman

Lily Melton: Distance; 5' 5"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Tyana Hymes
: 5' 4"; Sophomore
: Hurdles

Abigail Kelly
: Junior
: Throws

Kylee Smith
: Senior
: Distance

McKenna Huston
: Sophomore
: Sprints

Gabija Pukstas
: Freshman
: Distance

Lily Melton
: 5' 5"; Freshman
: Distance