Tyana Hymes Led UCO, Finishing Fifth at MIAA Track Championships

Tyana Hymes surged to a fifth-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles this past Sunday to cap a weekend of strong performances for Central Oklahoma at the MIAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held at Pittsburg State University’s Russell Jewitt Complex.

Hymes, a sophomore from Harker Heights, Texas, had an eventful weekend. She clocked a career-best 1:02.63 to finish fourth in Friday’s preliminaries, earning a spot in Sunday’s final. In the championship race, she posted 1:04.47, the second-fastest time of her career, to secure fifth place and all five of UCO’s points in the meet’s 400 hurdles.

Central Oklahoma finished ninth in the team standings. Hymes accounted for all of the Bronchos’ points in the event.

Other UCO athletes opened the weekend with solid showings on Friday. 

Mikayla Stephenson posted a 12.53 in the 100-meter dash, finishing 17th. In the 400, McKenna Huston and Maya Conrad ran strong races, placing 11th and 15th with times of 58.19 and 1:00.10, respectively.

Saturday’s action featured:

Gabija Pukstas finished 12th in the 800 meters with a time of 2:18.71.

Huston placed 16th in 2:21.71 in the same event.

Hymes advanced to the 100-meter hurdles final, where she finished 15th with a time of 15.42.

The Bronchos’ distance squad saw two more athletes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Saturday night:

Maya Winterburn finished 14th in 12:33.36.

Kylee Smith placed 15th in 13:32.65.

Sunday’s sessions continued with additional distance action:

Pukstas returned to compete in the 1,500 meters, finishing 15th in 4:50.45.

Ariane Williams and Winterburn ran the 5,000 meters, finishing 28th (20:11.23) and 29th (20:36.37), respectively.

The MIAA meet at the Russell Jewitt Complex provided a showcase for UCO’s sprinters and distance runners, with Hymes delivering the standout performance of the weekend for the Bronchos and helping to punctuate a competitive team showing in Pittsburg.