Lloyd makes an impact

I and a couple of friends (shockingly, I do have a couple) went to Lubbock on Sunday for the Big 12 track and field championships at Texas Tech's refurbished Fuller Track Stadium. It was about as calm a day as you will find on the South Plains in May.

One local athlete made an impact. Texas Tech's Kelsey Lloyd,a sophomore from Amarillo High, accounted for seven points and had a key carry in the 1600 relay that secured second place for the Raiders.

Lloyd was fifth in the high jump Sunday, clearing 5 feet, 83/4 inch. The former 400 runner with the Sandies, Lloyd was then fourth in 400 hurdles in 60.19 seconds.

Then entering the 1600 relay, the meet's final event, Tech was third overall in the team standings, 2 1/2 points behind Nebraska. Lloyd, the anchor leg, got the baton in sixth place.

She passed the Texas A&M anchor leg with a 54-second carry. That earned Tech fifth place and four points and moved the Raiders past Nebraska, 111 points to 109.5 in the final standings. Texas A&M won the women's crown with 126.5 points.