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FAYETTEVILLE. — Zimbabwean athlete Chengetayi Mapaya continued to add to his young but historic Texas Christian University track and field career in the United States on Saturday at the National Relay Championships.

The athlete set the school record in the men’s outdoor triple jump at Fayetteville in North Carolina.

Mapaya (20) had a pair of historic jumps on the day.

On his fourth attempt, the sophomore from Harare jumped a wind-legal 16,64 metres to break the school record.  The previous record was 16,57 metres, set by Scotty Newton at last year’s National Relay Championships. Both of TCU’s indoor and outdoor triple jump records now belong to Mapaya.

Mapaya’s fifth attempt was a wind-aided 16,86-metre jump, the farthest jump of the meet. Despite the windy conditions, Mapaya jumped beyond 16,30 metres on all six attempts.

His winning jump was a full two feet farther than second-place Papay Glaywulu of Oklahoma, who currently ranks third in the Big 12 and fourth in the West Region.

Mapaya, a former St George’s College pupil in Harare, currently ranks number two in the NCAA, number one in the West Region, and number one in the Big 12.

All four of TCU’s relays posted competitive marks on the day. The men’s 4×100 relay, consisting of Tinotenda Matiyenga from Zimbabwe, Tarrick Brock, Glenn Bender, and Derrick Mokaleng, kicked off the morning with a second-place time of 40,56 seconds.

The women’s 4×100 relay of Jenea Spinks, Destiny Longmire, Hope Glenn, and Teleda Williams posted a 46,45sec time and finished fifth. In 4x400m relay action, the men’s relay of Jostyn Andrews, Blake Hennesay, Bender, and Mokaleng, finished third with a time of 3:10,17.

Lily Beckford, Asiah Fields, Kiana Banks, and Kayla Heard posted a fourth-place time of 3:37,78, TCU’s second-fastest time of the season.

Both of TCU’s shot put throwers recorded personal-bests on Saturday. Brooklin Klopf threw 14,70 metres and finished fourth, while freshman Jordan Williams threw 13,64 metres and finished seventh. At the Michael Johnson Invitational last week, Klopf threw 14,54 metres and Williams threw 13,60 metres.

TCU’s track and field coach Darryl Anderson saluted his charges, especially Mapaya, after his latest feat at the National Relay Championships at the weekend. — TCU.com