Sanai & Savoria = Gold

While many of the conferences around the NCAA are holding their indoor championships this weekend, Winners Only was able to cover the SWAC Championships last weekend, Feb. 17-18, in Birmingham, Alabama.

Two women who stood out over the weekend due to their gritty performances were Prairie View's Sanai Kintchen and Savoria Anderson. Winners Only actually saw them start their seasons at the Commonwealth College Opener in Louisville, Kentucky on Dec. 2.

Both ladies competed in the pentathlon as well as the long jump at the SWAC Championships, while Kintchen also participated in the 60-meter hurdles and Anderson appeared in the triple jump and high jump events.

Kintchen became a conference champion on opening day with 3,564 points in the pentathlon. "All week, [actually] all month, ever since I was like, 'I got this I'm about to go win the pentathlon', every day," Kintchen said. "Every day, I'm like, 'I'm gonna go win, I'm gonna go win it.' The pentathlon is my heart and I got heart so that's what it was."

Competing in five events is a laborious process. Kintchen edged out Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Jaylynn Hampton by a mere nine points. Kintchen was asked about the magic of surviving the event and ending up on top.

"The magic is hard work," she said. "I go to practice every day. I work hard, no matter what, just work. That's all I have, for real."

Last season as a freshman, Kintchen just missed getting a medal in the pentathlon during indoor season as well as the heptathlon during outdoor season with fourth place finishes at both meets. Hampton was a runner-up in the pentathlon for the second straight season. She was the 2023 heptathlon champion. After earning a fifth place finish last year, Alabama State sophomore Shakayla Riggins was third in this season's pentathlon.

Kintchen also placed fourth in the 60-meter hurdles and seventh in the long jump.

The other aforementioned Prairie View athlete, Savoria Anderson was seventh in the pentathlon and 22nd in the long jump on day one. That was the sophomore's worse placing in three career SWAC indoor long jump competitions. Anderson finished the pentathlon prior to the long jump and her legs looked to be in pain after the 800 meters segment.

The following day, Anderson was able to bounce back and become a champion, just like Kintchen. Anderson claimed her first career conference gold in the triple jump with a mark of 12.44 meters.

"It makes up for everything," Anderson said about her win after a tough opening day. "I always wanted to get my gold in triple jump because that's my event and I'm glad that I was able to pursue that today. I was tired of getting third and fourth. I've been there and done that. It was mine today."

Last season Anderson earned two triple jump bronze medals at the SWAC indoor and outdoor meets. She held off two sophomores as Southern's Azariah Foster was the runner-up at 12.11 meters and 2023 outdoor winner Alexis Wilson of Texas Southern earned a bronze medal with a third place finish (12.08).

"I was in the weight room more, every day," Anderson said. "Also doing workouts made me stronger. My plan for outdoor is to jump 42 [feet] and 43 [feet] and to keep pushing. Get better in my phases of my jumps."

Anderson finished her meet with a high jump finish of 1.55 meters which was 10th best out of 23 jumpers.