The Saint Xavier men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams had some strong performers in the Lewis University Invitational in Romeoville, Ill., on Friday.
On the women’s side, junior Leslie Rosario won first place in the 1000-meter run by finishing in 3:24.80. She also finished tenth in the mile run with a time of 5:39.42.
Seniors Ashley Shares and Jordan Wallace joined Rosario in the top ten, finishing sixth and ninth with times of 5:28.04 and 5:35.10, respectively.
Shares also took first place in the 5000-meter run, qualifying her for the 5K event at Nationals.
Two Cougars placed in the top 10 for the 800-meter run. Freshman Nicole Watkins placed sixth in the final, finishing in 2:31.12. Sophomore Dana Martin rounded out the top 10 with a time of 2:33.59.
The men’s team could not match the women’s two first-place finishes, but they nonetheless had an impressive showing.
Junior Matt Krakowski managed a second-place finish in the 400-meter dash, finishing in 51.30 seconds.
Sophomore Rexford Wiafe was also able to pull out second place. His event was the 600-meter run, which he completed in 1:26.14.
In the finals of the 55-meter dash, junior John Stancato placed fourth with a 6.59-second finish.
Stancato and Krakowski cracked the top ten in the 200-meter dash, finishing the finals in fourth and sixth place with 23.39- and 23.57-second finishes, respectively.
The men’s team struggled the most with the mile run, but three athletes were able to place in the top 20.
Senior Brian Corcoran was the top Saint Xavier runner in the mile, placing 12th with a 4:30.69 finish. Janis Pastars and senior Shane Kenney came in 15th and 19th place, respectively.
Both teams’ next event is the NAIA vs. NCAA Challenge at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill. The women’s team’s event begins on Friday, while the men will get their meet under way on Saturday.
Tim Carroll
Senior Sports Editor