“Rebels Triumph at the Ultimate Lumberjack Team Showdown!”

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (UNLVrebels.com) – The UNLV women’s track & field squad commenced the 2025 indoor season on Friday afternoon, participating in the yearly Lumberjack Team Challenge organized by Northern Arizona University. 
 
The Rebels claimed victory in one of the 14 women’s events, Jaydea Carter finishing as the leading athlete in the women’s 60m hurdles with a final time of 8.47 seconds. The senior outpaced the second-place competitor by .02 seconds, achieving the same time she recorded during the preliminary session earlier in the day. T’Erica Boyd made her Rebel debut, securing a top-eight finish with her prelim time of 8.89, placing eighth.
 

The Scarlet & Gray saw multiple finalists in the other prelim-final event of the evening, with Kennedi Porter and Chinyere Okoro advancing through the 60m prelims. Porter improved her prelim time by .03 seconds, culminating in a runner-up finish in the finals with a final time of 7.43 seconds. Okoro recorded a 7.55 prelim time in the event, concluding fifth overall in the final.
 
The Rebel throws team showcased a second-place performance by Krishna Jayasankar, the junior propelled her shot put to a distance of 14.86m (48′ 9″) for the runner-up position, surpassing the third-place competitor by nearly two meters (1.82m). Roxene Simpson completed the top-eight competitors in the event, achieving a throw of 12.30m (40′ 4.25″) with her first attempt of the meet. 
 
Before setting a new personal-best in shot put, freshman Lauryn Williams spearheaded the team for UNLV in the women’s weight throw, qualifying for the finals in the event. The Los Angeles native achieved a distance of 14.14m (46′ 4.75″) to place ninth overall, with her teammates Simpson and Madelynn Wattles securing the 10th and 11th positions in the event, respectively. Freshman Sophia Clark also recorded a personal-best distance in this event.
 
The distance crew amassed several personal-best marks throughout the day, achieving three in the women’s mile and two additional in the 800m. Senior Jaida Lyles’ personal-best time, recorded at the elevation of 6880 ft, secured her a top-eight finish in the event, crossing the finish line with a time of 2:23.62 for seventh place overall. Alana Sangprasit also attained her personal-best time in the same event, winning her heat concurrently. Breanna Blanks, Aine McDade, and Taylor Gauthier all set personal-best times in the women’s mile earlier during the meet.
 
The final event of the meet, the women’s 4x400m relay, showcased another second-place finish for UNLV, finishing nearly four seconds ahead of the third-place team. The relay squad consisted of Sadia Green, Porter, Okoro, and AnnaKay Maitland, concluding with a final time of 3:53.67.
 

The Rebels will return to action for the Ted Nelson Invitational next weekend, scheduled for Saturday, January 25. The event will occur in College Station, Texas, hosted by Texas A&M. For updates on all matters related to Rebel track & field, links to the season’s meets are available on the team’s schedule page. Live updates on the Scarlet & Gray’s performances can also be found on the team’s X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram accounts.