Seniors Lexi Clarke, Yanira Deana Paninka, Olivia Mathis, and junior Amaya Rique celebrate together after going second in the 4x800m Relays
yaniradeana_ on Instagram via flickupbenji
The Men and Women’s Track and Field team won big in their outdoor season debut in Raleigh, North Carolina (NC).
To kick things off, both squads participated in the Raleigh Relays which took place at the Paul Derr Track and Field Facility in Raleigh, NC.
The moment they arrived they were locked in, they were ready to perform with their squad and even grab some individual awards. Coming all the way from Chicago, the Cougars knew how serious it was to represent the school while out in Raleigh.
After both track and field squads finished in third place at the CCAC Indoor Championships, they knew that they had to start things right for the Outdoor season.
SXU Men’s Track and Field vs. Raleigh Relays: No Score
The star of the Relay was junior thrower Connor Whalen who hit the NAIA ‘B’ Standard by breaking his old record in the Hammer toss. Establishing a new program record, Whalen tossed for a distance of 56.80m.
That was the third-best throw so far in the NAIA. Whalen was in fact the only NAIA thrower amongst the 52 competitors who all come from NCAA Division I and II programs. Out of all 52 competitors, Whalen placed 19 overall in the competition.
With his outstanding performance and hitting ‘B’ standard, Whalen earned the honor of winning CCAC Field Athlete of the Week. It is the first time in his collegiate career earning the award.
Whalen isn’t the only athlete to stand out during the Raleigh Relays as senior sprinter/hurdler Sean Harris finished his race in 21.25 seconds, the third fastest time in team history and his third-best career time.
The Cougars weren’t done yet as they had had some of their members take part in the 4×100 Relay. The team consisted of junior sprinters, Jayquan Hampton, Jamaurien Thomas, and Nazheer Moore.
They finished well as they placed 23 overall, posting a time of 43.22 seconds.
No. 10 SXU Women’s Track and Field vs. Raleigh Relays: No Score
For the women’s team, they only sent three runners down to Raleigh, but they still made their presence known. The competitors were senior sprinter Yanira Deana Paninka, and fifth-year senior middle-distance runners Lexi Clarke and Olivia Mathis.
All runners dominated in their events and hit the NAIA ‘A’ Standard. Clarke and Mathis competed in the 800m event and Paninka competed in the 400m Hurdles event.
Mathis finished the event with a time of 2:10.43 which placed her 43 overall. This was her second-best career time and second-best time in team history. It’s also the second-fastest time in the NAIA so far.
Clarke came away with a new personal record (PR) in the event when she finished with a time of 2:11.02 placing 59th out of 178 runners in the competition. Hitting her new PR, she beat her old best by two seconds.
Paninka finished the 400m Hurdles with a time of 1:01.37. This led to a 21st place finish and Paninka beating her previous school record that she set in last season’s NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships.
Just like her teammate Clarke, she beat her previous school-best by two seconds.
Both Cougar squads are sending a message to all competitors that they are ready to take over the Outdoor season. In the season debut, we already have runners setting new PRs, placing high in events, and hitting the NAIA ‘A’or ‘B’ standard.
To make matters scarier for other teams, those were just the select few from each squad. There’s still an entire roster waiting to show what they got.
It’s going to be a long season of winning, PR setting, NAIA Standards, weekly awards, and much more.
Unfortunately, the Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) Tiger Open that would’ve taken place on April 2nd was cancelled and both squads weren’t able to compete.
But on the bright side, they’ll be able to prepare and participate in the Chicagoland Championships at Elmhurst, Ill. The event will take place between April 9 through the 11th.
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